Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2025
Microfluidic Co-Culture Models for Dissecting the Immune Response in in vitro Tumor Microenvironments
Published on: April 30, 2021
Microfluidics engineering towards personalized oncology-a review
Sushmita Mishra1, Murali Kumarasamy1
1Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur (NIPERHajipur) Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP), Industrial Area, Vaishali, 844102 Bihar India.
Abstract:
Identifying and monitoring the presence of cancer metastasis and highlighting inter-and intratumoral heterogeneity is a central tenet of targeted precision oncology medicine (POM). This process of relocation of cancer cells is often referred to as the missing link between a tumor and metastasis. In recent years, microfluidic technologies have been developed to isolate a plethora of different biomarkers, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), tumor-derived vesicles (exosomes), or cell/free nucleic acids and proteins directly from patients' blood samples. With the advent of microfluidic developments, minimally invasive and quantitative assessment of different tumors is becoming a reality. This short review article will touch briefly on how microfluidics at early-stage achievements can be combined or developed with the active vs passive microfluidic technologies, depending on whether they utilize external fields and forces (active) or just microchannel geometry and inherent fluid forces (passive) from the market to precision oncology research and our future prospectives in terms of the emergence of ultralow cost and rapid prototyping of microfluidics in precision oncology.
Insights
Microfluidic technologies enable the isolation of cancer biomarkers from blood, advancing precision oncology. These methods offer minimally invasive tumor assessment and rapid prototyping for future cancer research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Precision oncology medicine (POM) relies on identifying and monitoring cancer metastasis and heterogeneity.
- The relocation of cancer cells, a key aspect of metastasis, remains a critical area of study.
- Microfluidic technologies have emerged as powerful tools for biomarker isolation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the application of microfluidic technologies in precision oncology.
- To discuss the integration of active and passive microfluidic systems.
- To explore future prospects of low-cost, rapid-prototyping microfluidics in cancer research.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples.
- Detection of tumor-derived vesicles (exosomes) using microfluidic devices.
- Analysis of cell-free nucleic acids and proteins via microfluidic platforms.
- Distinguishing between active (external fields) and passive (fluid forces) microfluidic approaches.
Main Results:
- Microfluidics facilitates minimally invasive and quantitative tumor assessment.
- Development of methods for isolating diverse cancer biomarkers, including CTCs and exosomes.
- Potential for integrating active and passive microfluidic strategies for enhanced detection.
Conclusions:
- Microfluidics is revolutionizing precision oncology by enabling comprehensive tumor analysis.
- Future advancements in low-cost, rapid-prototyping microfluidics promise wider accessibility and application in cancer research.
- The integration of microfluidic technologies is crucial for understanding and combating cancer metastasis.
