Lab on chips for liquid biopsy: a flexible and customized approach through microfabrication

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Early cancer detection remains a significant challenge in preventive medicine.
• Liquid biopsy offers a revolutionary approach for early screening and patient compliance.
• Innovative methods for biological fluid manipulation and rapid, low-cost biomarker detection devices are crucial for liquid biopsy advancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize multifunctional Lab-On-Chips (LOCs) for oral carcinoma cell trapping from saliva.
• To develop a platform for capturing extracellular vesicles (EVs) from neuroblastoma cell models.
• To create an integrated device for sample preparation and detection in a single chip for liquid biopsy.

Main Methods:

• Microfluidic building blocks were fabricated using poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) micromilling.
• Surface chemistry was optimized for capturing tumor cells and EVs in multiple microfluidic channels.
• The device was functionalized to assess working concentrations for biological fluids and integrate sample preparation with detection modules.

Main Results:

• Optimized multifunctional LOCs were realized for trapping oral carcinoma cells and EVs.
• A proof-of-concept device was successfully created, mimicking liquid biopsy analysis from saliva.
• The microfluidic platform demonstrated potential for early cancer diagnosis through saliva analysis.

Conclusions:

• The optimized multifunctional Lab-On-Chips show promise for advancing liquid biopsy techniques.
• The developed platform facilitates the trapping of critical biomarkers from complex biological fluids like saliva.
• This technology supports the early diagnosis of cancer, improving patient compliance and screening accessibility.