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A Digital Microfluidic Platform for the Microscale Production of Functional Immune Cell Therapies
Samuel R Little1,2, Niloufar Rahbari2,3, Mehri Hajiaghayi4
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec H4B 1R6, Canada.
Analytical Chemistry
|May 20, 2025
Summary
A novel digital microfluidic electroporation system, triDrop, efficiently engineers human T cells for cell therapy. This technology enhances Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell production, improving functionality and reducing costs for next-generation therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Immunotherapy
- Cellular Engineering
Background:
- Genetically engineered immune cells offer promising therapeutic potential for various diseases.
- Current cell engineering methods face challenges in efficiency, cost, and cell viability.
- Advancements are needed to expand the scope and overcome limitations of existing cellular therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a novel digital microfluidic electroporation system (triDrop) for engineering primary human T cells.
- To compare the triDrop system against two commercial electroporation systems.
- To demonstrate the application of digital microfluidics in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy production.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a digital microfluidic enabled electroporation system (triDrop) for T cell engineering.
- Compared triDrop performance with two state-of-the-art commercial electroporation systems.
- Assessed transfection efficiency, reagent consumption, and transcriptomic profile preservation.
- Evaluated the miniaturized production of CAR T cells using the digital microfluidic platform.
Main Results:
- The triDrop system achieved highly efficient T cell transfection with minimal reagent use.
- A healthy transcriptomic profile was preserved in T cells processed by triDrop.
- The digital microfluidic platform enabled miniaturized CAR T cell production.
- This novel system demonstrated a 2-fold improvement in immunotherapeutic functionality and up to a 20-fold cost reduction compared to gold standard methods.
Conclusions:
- Digital microfluidics offers a powerful platform for advanced cell therapy research and development.
- The triDrop system shows significant potential for automated, rapid, and affordable next-generation cell therapy R&D.
- This technology can overcome current limitations, paving the way for more accessible and effective cellular immunotherapies.
