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Updated: May 15, 2026
Three-Dimensionally Printed Microfluidic Cross-flow System for Ultrafiltration/Nanofiltration Membrane Performance Testing
Published on: February 13, 2016
Surface-micromachined microfiltration membranes for efficient isolation and functional immunophenotyping of
Weiqiang Chen1, Nien-Tsu Huang1, Boram Oh1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA.
Insights
This study introduces a novel microfiltration platform for precise immune cell analysis. It enables rapid isolation and identification of specific immune cell subpopulations for improved diagnosis of immune disorders.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Immunology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Accurate immune status measurement is crucial for diagnosing and treating immune system disorders.
- Conventional functional cellular immunity tests lack specificity, hindering identification of reactive immune cells.
- Existing methods struggle to pinpoint specific immune cell phenotypes from bulk assays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic platform for high-throughput isolation and analysis of immune cell subpopulations.
- To enable rapid and sensitive on-chip immunophenotyping of immune cells from small blood samples.
- To improve the diagnosis and treatment tailoring for patients with immune system disorders.
Main Methods:
- Development of a microfluidic microfiltration platform with a large surface micromachined poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfiltration membrane (PMM).
- Functionalization of microbeads with antibodies for specific cell surface protein capture and on-chip isolation of immune cell subpopulations.
- Integration of a no-wash homogeneous chemiluminescence assay (AlphaLISA) for sensitive on-chip immunophenotyping.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated rapid, efficient, and high-throughput on-chip isolation and enrichment of immune cell subpopulations using the PMM.
- Successfully performed sensitive on-chip immunophenotyping assays for isolated immune cell subpopulations.
- Enabled analysis directly from minute quantities of blood samples.
Conclusions:
- The PMM-integrated microfiltration platform offers a powerful tool for precise immune cell analysis.
- This technology facilitates rapid and sensitive immunophenotyping, aiding in the diagnosis of immune dysfunctions.
- The platform supports tailored drug treatments by providing detailed immune cell profiles.
Abstract:
An accurate measurement of the immune status in patients with immune system disorders is critical in evaluating the stage of diseases and tailoring drug treatments. The functional cellular immunity test is a promising method to establish the diagnosis of immune dysfunctions. The conventional functional cellular immunity test involves measurements of the capacity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines when stimulated ex vivo. However, this "bulk" assay measures the overall reactivity of a population of lymphocytes and monocytes, making it difficult to pinpoint the phenotype or real identity of the reactive immune cells involved. In this research, we develop a large surface micromachined poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfiltration membrane (PMM) with high porosity, which is integrated in a microfluidic microfiltration platform. Using the PMM with functionalized microbeads conjugated with antibodies against specific cell surface proteins, we demonstrated rapid, efficient and high-throughput on-chip isolation, enrichment, and stimulation of subpopulations of immune cells from blood specimens. Furthermore, the PMM-integrated microfiltration platform, coupled with a no-wash homogeneous chemiluminescence assay ("AlphaLISA"), enables us to demonstrate rapid and sensitive on-chip immunophenotyping assays for subpopulations of immune cells isolated directly from minute quantities of blood samples.
