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Shanehband N, Naghib SM. Recent advances in nano/microfluidics-based cell isolation techniques for cancer diagnosis and treatments. Biochimie 2024; 220:122-143. [PMID: 38176605 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Miniaturization has improved significantly in the recent decade, which has enabled the development of numerous microfluidic systems. Microfluidic technologies have shown great potential for separating desired cells from heterogeneous samples, as they offer benefits such as low sample consumption, easy operation, and high separation accuracy. Microfluidic cell separation approaches can be classified into physical (label-free) and biological (labeled) methods based on their working principles. Each method has remarkable and feasible benefits for the purposes of cancer detection and therapy, as well as the challenges that we have discussed in this article. In this review, we present the recent advances in microfluidic cell sorting techniques that incorporate both physical and biological aspects, with an emphasis on the methods by which the cells are separated. We first introduce and discuss the biological cell sorting techniques, followed by the physical cell sorting techniques. Additionally, we explore the role of microfluidics in drug screening, drug delivery, and lab-on-chip (LOC) therapy. In addition, we discuss the challenges and future prospects of integrated microfluidics for cell sorting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahid Shanehband
- Nanotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies, Iran University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 16846-13114, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Morteza Naghib
- Nanotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies, Iran University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 16846-13114, Tehran, Iran.
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2
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Uddin MR, Chen X. Enhancing cell separation in a hybrid spiral dielectrophoretic microchannel: Numerical insights and optimal operating conditions. Biotechnol Prog 2024:e3437. [PMID: 38289677 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Reliable separation of circulating tumor cells from blood cells is crucial for early cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Many conventional microfluidic platforms take advantage of the size difference between particles for their separation, which renders them impractical for sorting overlapping-sized cells. To address this concern, a hybrid inertial-dielectrophoretic microfluidic chip is proposed in this work for continuous and single-stage separation of lung cancer cell line A549 cells from white blood cells of overlapping size. The working mechanism of the proposed spiral microchannel embedded with planar interdigitated electrodes is validated against the experimental results. A numerical investigation is carried out over a range of flow conditions and electric field intensity to determine the separation efficiency and migration characteristics of the cell mixture. The results demonstrate the unique capability of the proposed microchannel to achieve high-throughput separation of cells at low applied voltages in both vertical and lateral directions. A significant lateral separation distance between the CTCs and the WBCs has been achieved, which allows for high-resolution and effective separation of cells. The separation resolution can be controlled by adjusting the strength of the applied electric field. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the lateral separation distance is maximum at a voltage termed the critical voltage, which increases with the increase in the flow rate. The proposed microchannel and the developed technique can provide valuable insight into the development of a tunable and robust medical device for effective and high-throughput separation of cancer cells from the WBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Raihan Uddin
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Xiaolin Chen
- School of Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA
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3
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Rane A, Jarmoshti J, Siddique AB, Adair S, Torres-Castro K, Honrado C, Bauer TW, Swami NS. Dielectrophoretic enrichment of live chemo-resistant circulating-like pancreatic cancer cells from media of drug-treated adherent cultures of solid tumors. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:561-571. [PMID: 38174422 PMCID: PMC10826460 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00804e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Due to low numbers of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in liquid biopsies, there is much interest in enrichment of alternative circulating-like mesenchymal cancer cell subpopulations from in vitro tumor cultures for utilization within molecular profiling and drug screening. Viable cancer cells that are released into the media of drug-treated adherent cancer cell cultures exhibit anoikis resistance or anchorage-independent survival away from their extracellular matrix with nutrient sources and waste sinks, which serves as a pre-requisite for metastasis. The enrichment of these cell subpopulations from tumor cultures can potentially serve as an in vitro source of circulating-like cancer cells with greater potential for scale-up in comparison with CTCs. However, these live circulating-like cancer cell subpopulations exhibit size overlaps with necrotic and apoptotic cells in the culture media, which makes it challenging to selectively enrich them, while maintaining them in their suspended state. We present optimization of a flowthrough high frequency (1 MHz) positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP) device with sequential 3D field non-uniformities that enables enrichment of the live chemo-resistant circulating cancer cell subpopulation from an in vitro culture of metastatic patient-derived pancreatic tumor cells. Central to this strategy is the utilization of single-cell impedance cytometry with gates set by supervised machine learning, to optimize the frequency for pDEP, so that live circulating cells are selected based on multiple biophysical metrics, including membrane physiology, cytoplasmic conductivity and cell size, which is not possible using deterministic lateral displacement that is solely based on cell size. Using typical drug-treated samples with low levels of live circulating cells (<3%), we present pDEP enrichment of the target subpopulation to ∼44% levels within 20 minutes, while rejecting >90% of dead cells. This strategy of utilizing single-cell impedance cytometry to guide the optimization of dielectrophoresis has implications for other complex biological samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Rane
- Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA.
| | - Javad Jarmoshti
- Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | | | - Sara Adair
- Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | | | - Carlos Honrado
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Braga, Portugal
| | - Todd W Bauer
- Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Nathan S Swami
- Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA.
- Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
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4
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Uddin MR, Sarowar MT, Chen X. Separation of CTCs from WBCs using DEP-assisted inertial manipulation: A numerical study. Electrophoresis 2023; 44:1781-1794. [PMID: 37753944 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202300090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Isolation and detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) hold significant importance for the early diagnosis of cancer and the assessment of therapeutic strategies. However, the scarcity of CTCs among peripheral blood cells presents a major challenge to their detection. Additionally, a similar size range between CTCs and white blood cells (WBCs) makes conventional microfluidic platforms inadequate for the isolation of CTCs. To overcome these challenges, in this study, a novel inertial-dielectrophoretic microfluidic channel for size-independent, single-stage separation of CTCs from WBCs has been presented. The proposed device utilizes a spiral microchannel embedded with interdigitated electrodes. A numerical model is developed and validated to investigate the influence of various parameters related to the channel design, fluid flow, and electrode configuration. It was found that optimal separation of CTCs could be obtained at a relatively low voltage, termed the critical voltage. Furthermore, at the critical voltage of 7.5 V, the hybrid microchannel is demonstrated to be capable of separating CTCs from different WBC subtypes including granulocytes, monocytes, T-, and B-lymphocytes. The unique capabilities of the hybrid spiral microchannel allow for this size-independent isolation of CTCs from a mixture of WBCs. Overall, the proposed technique can be readily utilized for continuous and high-throughput separation of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Raihan Uddin
- School of Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA
| | - Md Tanbir Sarowar
- School of Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA
| | - Xiaolin Chen
- School of Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA
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5
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Han X, Xu X, Yang C, Liu G. Microfluidic design in single-cell sequencing and application to cancer precision medicine. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100591. [PMID: 37725985 PMCID: PMC10545941 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Single-cell sequencing (SCS) is a crucial tool to reveal the genetic and functional heterogeneity of tumors, providing unique insights into the clonal evolution, microenvironment, drug resistance, and metastatic progression of cancers. Microfluidics is a critical component of many SCS technologies and workflows, conferring advantages in throughput, economy, and automation. Here, we review the current landscape of microfluidic architectures and sequencing techniques for single-cell omics analysis and highlight how these have enabled recent applications in oncology research. We also discuss the challenges and the promise of microfluidics-based single-cell analysis in the future of precision oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Han
- CUHK(SZ)-Boyalife Joint Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Programme, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China; Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Xing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, P.R. China; Institute of Molecular Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related 12 Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Chaoyang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, P.R. China; Institute of Molecular Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related 12 Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China.
| | - Guozhen Liu
- CUHK(SZ)-Boyalife Joint Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Programme, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China; Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China.
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6
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Nickerson JL, Baghalabadi V, Rajendran SRCK, Jakubec PJ, Said H, McMillen TS, Dang Z, Doucette AA. Recent advances in top-down proteome sample processing ahead of MS analysis. MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2023; 42:457-495. [PMID: 34047392 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Top-down proteomics is emerging as a preferred approach to investigate biological systems, with objectives ranging from the detailed assessment of a single protein therapeutic, to the complete characterization of every possible protein including their modifications, which define the human proteoform. Given the controlling influence of protein modifications on their biological function, understanding how gene products manifest or respond to disease is most precisely achieved by characterization at the intact protein level. Top-down mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of proteins entails unique challenges associated with processing whole proteins while maintaining their integrity throughout the processes of extraction, enrichment, purification, and fractionation. Recent advances in each of these critical front-end preparation processes, including minimalistic workflows, have greatly expanded the capacity of MS for top-down proteome analysis. Acknowledging the many contributions in MS technology and sample processing, the present review aims to highlight the diverse strategies that have forged a pathway for top-down proteomics. We comprehensively discuss the evolution of front-end workflows that today facilitate optimal characterization of proteoform-driven biology, including a brief description of the clinical applications that have motivated these impactful contributions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Venus Baghalabadi
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Subin R C K Rajendran
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Philip J Jakubec
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Hammam Said
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Teresa S McMillen
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Ziheng Dang
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Alan A Doucette
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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7
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Deivasigamani R, Mohd Maidin NN, Abdul Nasir NS, Abdulhameed A, Ahmad Kayani AB, Mohamed MA, Buyong MR. A correlation of conductivity medium and bioparticle viability on dielectrophoresis-based biomedical applications. Electrophoresis 2023; 44:573-620. [PMID: 36604943 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202200203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) bioparticle research has progressed from micro to nano levels. It has proven to be a promising and powerful cell manipulation method with an accurate, quick, inexpensive, and label-free technique for therapeutic purposes. DEP, an electrokinetic phenomenon, induces particle movement as a result of polarization effects in a nonuniform electrical field. This review focuses on current research in the biomedical field that demonstrates a practical approach to DEP in terms of cell separation, trapping, discrimination, and enrichment under the influence of the conductive medium in correlation with bioparticle viability. The current review aims to provide readers with an in-depth knowledge of the fundamental theory and principles of the DEP technique, which is influenced by conductive medium and to identify and demonstrate the biomedical application areas. The high conductivity of physiological fluids presents obstacles and opportunities, followed by bioparticle viability in an electric field elaborated in detail. Finally, the drawbacks of DEP-based systems and the outlook for the future are addressed. This article will aid in advancing technology by bridging the gap between bioscience and engineering. We hope the insights presented in this review will improve cell suspension medium and promote DEP-viable bioparticle manipulation for health-care diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Revathy Deivasigamani
- Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nur Nasyifa Mohd Maidin
- Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nur Shahira Abdul Nasir
- Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Aminuddin Bin Ahmad Kayani
- Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group and the Micro Nano Research Facility, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.,ARC Research Hub for Connected Sensors for Health, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mohd Ambri Mohamed
- Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Muhamad Ramdzan Buyong
- Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
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8
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Feng J, Neuzil J, Manz A, Iliescu C, Neuzil P. Microfluidic trends in drug screening and drug delivery. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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9
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Emmerich MEP, Sinnigen AS, Neubauer P, Birkholz M. Dielectrophoretic separation of blood cells. Biomed Microdevices 2022; 24:30. [PMID: 36006519 PMCID: PMC9411249 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-022-00623-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Microfluidic dielectrophoretic (DEP) devices enable the label-free separation and isolation of cells based on differences in their electrophysiological properties. The technique can serve as a tool in clinical diagnostics and medical research as it facilitates the analysis of patient-specific blood composition and the detection and isolation of pathogenic cells like circulating tumor cells or malaria-infected erythrocytes. This review compares different microfluidic DEP devices to separate platelets, erythrocytes and leukocytes including their cellular subclasses. An overview and experimental setups of different microfluidic DEP devices for the separation, trapping and isolation or purification of blood cells are detailed with respect to their technical design, electrode configuration, sample preparation, applied voltage and frequency and created DEP field based and related to the separation efficiency. The technique holds the promise that results can quickly be attained in clinical and ambulant settings. In particular, point-of-care-testing scenarios are favored by the extensive miniaturization, which would be enabled by microelectronical integration of DEP devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E. P. Emmerich
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Institute of Biotechnology, TU Berlin, Ackerstrasse 76, ACK24, D-13355 Berlin, Germany
- IHP – Leibniz-Institut für innovative Mikroelektronik, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - Anne-Sophie Sinnigen
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Institute of Biotechnology, TU Berlin, Ackerstrasse 76, ACK24, D-13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Neubauer
- Chair of Bioprocess Engineering, Institute of Biotechnology, TU Berlin, Ackerstrasse 76, ACK24, D-13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mario Birkholz
- IHP – Leibniz-Institut für innovative Mikroelektronik, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
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10
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A dielectrophoresis-based microfluidic system having double-sided optimized 3D electrodes for label-free cancer cell separation with preserving cell viability. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12100. [PMID: 35840699 PMCID: PMC9287561 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16286-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Early detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a patient's blood is essential to accurate prognosis and effective cancer treatment monitoring. The methods used to detect and separate CTCs should have a high recovery rate and ensure cells viability for post-processing operations, such as cell culture and genetic analysis. In this paper, a novel dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based microfluidic system is presented for separating MDA-MB-231 cancer cells from various subtypes of WBCs with the practical cell viability approach. Three configurations for the sidewall electrodes are investigated to evaluate the separation performance. The simulation results based on the finite-element method show that semi-circular electrodes have the best performance with a recovery rate of nearly 95% under the same operational and geometric conditions. In this configuration, the maximum applied electric field (1.11 × 105 V/m) to separate MDA-MB-231 is lower than the threshold value for cell electroporation. Also, the Joule heating study in this configuration shows that the cells are not damaged in the fluid temperature gradient (equal to 1 K). We hope that such a complete and step-by-step design is suitable to achieve DEP-based applicable cell separation biochips.
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11
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Pesch GR, Du F. A review of dielectrophoretic separation and classification of non-biological particles. Electrophoresis 2020; 42:134-152. [PMID: 32667696 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202000137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a selective electrokinetic particle manipulation technology that is applied for almost 100 years and currently finds most applications in biomedical research using microfluidic devices operating at moderate to low throughput. This paper reviews DEP separators capable of high-throughput operation and research addressing separation and analysis of non-biological particle systems. Apart from discussing particle polarization mechanisms, this review summarizes the early applications of DEP for dielectric sorting of minerals and lists contemporary applications in solid/liquid, liquid/liquid, and solid/air separation, for example, DEP filtration or airborne fiber length classification; the review also summarizes developments in DEP fouling suppression, gives a brief overview of electrocoalescence and addresses current problems in high-throughput DEP separation. We aim to provide inspiration for DEP application schemes outside of the biomedical sector, for example, for the recovery of precious metal from scrap or for extraction of metal from low-grade ore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg R Pesch
- Faculty of Production Engineering, Chemical Process Engineering Group, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Fei Du
- Faculty of Production Engineering, Chemical Process Engineering Group, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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12
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Chen H, Li Y, Zhang Z, Wang S. Immunomagnetic separation of circulating tumor cells with microfluidic chips and their clinical applications. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:041502. [PMID: 32849973 PMCID: PMC7440929 DOI: 10.1063/5.0005373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are tumor cells detached from the original lesion and getting into the blood and lymphatic circulation systems. They potentially establish new tumors in remote areas, namely, metastasis. Isolation of CTCs and following biological molecular analysis facilitate investigating cancer and coming out treatment. Since CTCs carry important information on the primary tumor, they are vital in exploring the mechanism of cancer, metastasis, and diagnosis. However, CTCs are very difficult to separate due to their extreme heterogeneity and rarity in blood. Recently, advanced technologies, such as nanosurfaces, quantum dots, and Raman spectroscopy, have been integrated with microfluidic chips. These achievements enable the next generation isolation technologies and subsequent biological analysis of CTCs. In this review, we summarize CTCs' separation with microfluidic chips based on the principle of immunomagnetic isolation of CTCs. Fundamental insights, clinical applications, and potential future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Chen
- School of Mathematics and Physics of Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan 243002, China
| | - Yong Li
- School of Mathematics and Physics of Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan 243002, China
| | - Zhifeng Zhang
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Shuangshou Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan 243002, China
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EMT-Associated Heterogeneity in Circulating Tumor Cells: Sticky Friends on the Road to Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061632. [PMID: 32575608 PMCID: PMC7352430 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial–mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) generate hybrid phenotypes with an enhanced ability to adapt to diverse microenvironments encountered during the metastatic spread. Accordingly, EMTs play a crucial role in the biology of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and contribute to their heterogeneity. Here, we review major EMT-driven properties that may help hybrid Epithelial/Mesenchymal CTCs to survive in the bloodstream and accomplish early phases of metastatic colonization. We then discuss how interrogating EMT in CTCs as a companion biomarker could help refine cancer patient management, further supporting the relevance of CTCs in personalized medicine.
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14
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Liang W, Yang X, Wang J, Wang Y, Yang W, Liu L. Determination of Dielectric Properties of Cells using AC Electrokinetic-based Microfluidic Platform: A Review of Recent Advances. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E513. [PMID: 32438680 PMCID: PMC7281274 DOI: 10.3390/mi11050513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cell dielectric properties, a type of intrinsic property of cells, can be used as electrophysiological biomarkers that offer a label-free way to characterize cell phenotypes and states, purify clinical samples, and identify target cancer cells. Here, we present a review of the determination of cell dielectric properties using alternating current (AC) electrokinetic-based microfluidic mechanisms, including electro-rotation (ROT) and dielectrophoresis (DEP). The review covers theoretically how ROT and DEP work to extract cell dielectric properties. We also dive into the details of differently structured ROT chips, followed by a discussion on the determination of cell dielectric properties and the use of these properties in bio-related applications. Additionally, the review offers a look at the future challenges facing the AC electrokinetic-based microfluidic platform in terms of acquiring cell dielectric parameters. Our conclusion is that this platform will bring biomedical and bioengineering sciences to the next level and ultimately achieve the shift from lab-oriented research to real-world applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfeng Liang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.)
| | - Xieliu Yang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.)
| | - Junhai Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110168, China; (X.Y.); (J.W.)
| | - Yuechao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China;
| | - Wenguang Yang
- School of Electromechanical and Automotive Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China;
| | - Lianqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China;
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15
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Advances and applications of isomotive dielectrophoresis for cell analysis. Anal Bioanal Chem 2020; 412:3813-3833. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-020-02590-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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16
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Song K, Li G, Zu X, Du Z, Liu L, Hu Z. The Fabrication and Application Mechanism of Microfluidic Systems for High Throughput Biomedical Screening: A Review. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:E297. [PMID: 32168977 PMCID: PMC7143183 DOI: 10.3390/mi11030297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic systems have been widely explored based on microfluidic technology, and it has been widely used for biomedical screening. The key parts are the fabrication of the base scaffold, the construction of the matrix environment in the 3D system, and the application mechanism. In recent years, a variety of new materials have emerged, meanwhile, some new technologies have been developed. In this review, we highlight the properties of high throughput and the biomedical application of the microfluidic chip and focus on the recent progress of the fabrication and application mechanism. The emergence of various biocompatible materials has provided more available raw materials for microfluidic chips. The material is not confined to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the extracellular microenvironment is not limited by a natural matrix. The mechanism is also developed in diverse ways, including its special physical structure and external field effects, such as dielectrophoresis, magnetophoresis, and acoustophoresis. Furthermore, the cell/organ-based microfluidic system provides a new platform for drug screening due to imitating the anatomic and physiologic properties in vivo. Although microfluidic technology is currently mostly in the laboratory stage, it has great potential for commercial applications in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kena Song
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, He’nan 471023, China; (K.S.); (X.Z.); (Z.D.)
| | - Guoqiang Li
- College of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (G.L.); (L.L.)
| | - Xiangyang Zu
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, He’nan 471023, China; (K.S.); (X.Z.); (Z.D.)
| | - Zhe Du
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, He’nan 471023, China; (K.S.); (X.Z.); (Z.D.)
| | - Liyu Liu
- College of Physics, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China; (G.L.); (L.L.)
| | - Zhigang Hu
- College of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, He’nan 471023, China; (K.S.); (X.Z.); (Z.D.)
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17
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Iliescu FS, Poenar DP, Yu F, Ni M, Chan KH, Cima I, Taylor HK, Cima I, Iliescu C. Recent advances in microfluidic methods in cancer liquid biopsy. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2019; 13:041503. [PMID: 31431816 PMCID: PMC6697033 DOI: 10.1063/1.5087690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Early cancer detection, its monitoring, and therapeutical prediction are highly valuable, though extremely challenging targets in oncology. Significant progress has been made recently, resulting in a group of devices and techniques that are now capable of successfully detecting, interpreting, and monitoring cancer biomarkers in body fluids. Precise information about malignancies can be obtained from liquid biopsies by isolating and analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or nucleic acids, tumor-derived vesicles or proteins, and metabolites. The current work provides a general overview of the latest on-chip technological developments for cancer liquid biopsy. Current challenges for their translation and their application in various clinical settings are discussed. Microfluidic solutions for each set of biomarkers are compared, and a global overview of the major trends and ongoing research challenges is given. A detailed analysis of the microfluidic isolation of CTCs with recent efforts that aimed at increasing purity and capture efficiency is provided as well. Although CTCs have been the focus of a vast microfluidic research effort as the key element for obtaining relevant information, important clinical insights can also be achieved from alternative biomarkers, such as classical protein biomarkers, exosomes, or circulating-free nucleic acids. Finally, while most work has been devoted to the analysis of blood-based biomarkers, we highlight the less explored potential of urine as an ideal source of molecular cancer biomarkers for point-of-care lab-on-chip devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florina S. Iliescu
- School of Applied Science, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore 738964, Singapore
| | - Daniel P. Poenar
- VALENS-Centre for Bio Devices and Signal Analysis, School of EEE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Fang Yu
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, A*STAR, Singapore 138634, Singapore
| | - Ming Ni
- School of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Yachay Technological University, San Miguel de Urcuquí 100105, Ecuador
| | - Kiat Hwa Chan
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore 138527, Singapore
| | | | - Hayden K. Taylor
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Igor Cima
- DKFZ-Division of Translational Oncology/Neurooncology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg and University Hospital Essen, Essen 45147, Germany
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18
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Iliescu FS, Vrtačnik D, Neuzil P, Iliescu C. Microfluidic Technology for Clinical Applications of Exosomes. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10060392. [PMID: 31212754 PMCID: PMC6631586 DOI: 10.3390/mi10060392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Exosomes, a type of nanovesicle, are distinct cellular entities specifically capable of carrying various cargos between cells. It has been hypothesized that exosomes, as an enriched source of biomolecules, may serve as biomarkers for various diseases. This review introduces general aspects of exosomes, presents the challenges in exosome research, discusses the potential of exosomes as biomarkers, and describes the contribution of microfluidic technology to enable their isolation and analysis for diagnostic and disease monitoring. Additionally, clinical applications of exosomes for diagnostic purposes are also summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florina S Iliescu
- School of Applied Science, Republic Polytechnic Singapore, Singapore 738964, Singapore.
| | - Danilo Vrtačnik
- Laboratory of Microsensor Structures and Electronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Pavel Neuzil
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Micro/Nano Systems for Aerospace, School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China.
- Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Brno 613 00, Czech Republic.
- Department of Microelectronics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 3058/10, 61600 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Ciprian Iliescu
- Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology (BIGHEART), National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore.
- Academy of Romanian Scientists, Bucharest 050094, Romania.
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