Magnetic Genetically Engineered Cells Constructed via Microfluidic Squeezing for Highly Efficient Capture of...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection is vital for cancer diagnosis and metastasis monitoring.
• Conventional immunomagnetic nanomaterials (IMNs) for CTC enrichment suffer from low purity and inefficiency.
• Existing cell membrane-coated IMNs face challenges like high cost, low efficiency, and inconsistent membrane orientation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient and high-purity method for isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
• To overcome the limitations of conventional immunomagnetic nanomaterials in CTC enrichment.
• To improve early cancer diagnosis and real-time metastasis monitoring through advanced CTC isolation.

Main Methods:

• Development of polyethyleneimine-coated magnetic nanoparticles (PEI-MNPs) loaded with anti-EpCAM scFv-encoding plasmid.
• Design of a microfluidic chip to enhance intracellular delivery and nanoparticle uptake.
• Utilizing intact cells as biomimetic carriers for PEI-MNP encapsulation to mimic in vivo interactions.

Main Results:

• Achieved a CTC purity of 91.9%, significantly higher than the 61.2% obtained with commercial IMNs.
• Demonstrated high-throughput, efficient magnetic loading, and genetic engineering of target cells.
• Minimized nonspecific leukocyte adsorption by mimicking in vivo receptor-ligand interactions.

Conclusions:

• The novel microfluidic approach offers a highly efficient and pure method for CTC isolation.
• This strategy holds significant promise for advancing early cancer diagnosis and metastasis monitoring.
• The use of PEI-MNPs and biomimetic cell carriers represents a breakthrough in CTC enrichment technology.