Rare Cell Isolation Technique Improved

An innovative concept has been reported for the separation of rare cells, such as prostate cancer cells or circulating tumor cells, using microfluidics.

The technique allows an entire blood draw to be processed, in continuous manner, in a shorter period of time, and does not rely on antibodies, which is important because not all cancer cells express antigens.

Scientists at the University of Cincinnati ( OH, USA), used inertial microfluidics to continuously and selectively collect rare cells, such as circulating tumor cells, based on their size versus other biomarkers. The advantage of inertial microfluidics in cell separation is that it can be done easily and without cumbersome equipment. This type of work is leading to an entirely new generation of testing capabilities that particularly lend themselves to direct use in the field and in physicians' offices in just about any country and any economic setting. Another area in which this device could be useful is in working with cell cultures.

The device is essentially a clear, plastic, flexible square that is relatively small, at about 12.7 mm across. The device contains four outlet ports that separate the blood into different streams, allowing the collection of outputs containing dilute plasma, red blood cells, and white blood cells. This quick, low-cost way of running a diagnostic test could potentially be used in a resource-limited setting. Ian Papautsky, PhD, an associate professor at the College of Engineering and Applied Science (Cincinnati, OH, USA), said, "If you have a mixture of multiple cells where some cells are small and other cells are big, we could separate these cell populations very easily. Anytime you need to separate based on size, we can do it using inertial microfluidics."

Prof. Papautsky explained, “There are a lot of clinical diagnostic tests that are based on blood. One of the most common tests that are done in a hospital is the complete blood count (CBC). Through this test, a wide range of conditions like anemia, malaria or leukemia are diagnosed. In all of these diagnostic tests, blood must be separated into its components, and that's what this device does. So, instead of using a big centrifuge to do it, we can do it with this little device." The microfluidic device allows for a diagnosis in less time in a much easier fashion. The study was reported at the Sixteenth International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (microTAS) held October 28 to November 1, 2012, in Okinawa (Japan).

Related Links:
University of Cincinnati
College of Engineering and Applied Science
microTAS