An Immunofluorescence-Assisted Microfluidic Single Cell Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis of Tumour Cells Separated from Blood

Advances in diagnostic microfluidics

Microfluidics is an emerging field in diagnostics that allows for extremely precise fluid control and manipulation, enabling rapid and high-throughput sample processing in integrated micro-scale medical systems. These platforms are well-suited for both standard clinical settings and point-of-care applications. The unique features of microfluidics-based platforms make them attractive for early disease diagnosis and real-time monitoring of the disease and therapeutic efficacy. In this chapter, we will first provide a background on microfluidic fundamentals, microfluidic fabrication technologies, microfluidic reactors, and microfluidic total-analysis-systems. Next, we will move into a discussion on the clinical applications of existing and emerging microfluidic platforms for blood analysis, and for diagnosis and monitoring of cancer and infectious disease. Together, this chapter should elucidate the potential that microfluidic systems have in the development of effective diagnostic technologies through a review of existing technologies and promising directions.

Design of peptide nucleic acid probes on plasmonic gold nanorods for detection of circulating tumor DNA point mutations

Here we present a gold nanorod-based platform for the sequence-specific detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) point mutations without the need for amplification or fluorescence labeling. Peptide nucleic acid probes complimentary to the G12V mutation in the KRAS gene were conjugated to gold nanorods, and the localized surface plasmon resonance absorbance through the sample was measured after exposure to synthetic ctDNA at various concentrations. Each step of the reaction was thoroughly controlled, starting from reagent concentrations and including conjugation, sonication, and incubation time. The platform was evaluated in both buffer and spiked healthy patient serum, demonstrating a linear working range below 125 nanograms of ctDNA per milliliter solution, and an effective limit of detection of 2 nanograms of ctDNA per milliliter. A clear distinction between mutant and wild type synthetic ctDNA was also found using this platform. In order to improve upon the selectivity of the sensor, a DNA hybridization simulation was performed to understand how the addition of mutations to the peptide nucleic acid probe could enhance the selectivity for capture of mutant over wild type sequences. The top candidate from the simulations, which had an additional mutation two base pairs away from the mutation of interest, had a significant impact on the selectivity between mutant and wild type capture. This paper provides a framework for sequence-specific capture of ctDNA, and a method of improving selectivity for desired point mutations through careful probe design.

Combined immunomagnetic capture coupled with ultrasensitive plasmonic detection of circulating tumor cells in blood

We demonstrate enhanced on-chip circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection through the incorporation of plasmonic-enhanced near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence screening. Specifically, the performance of plasmonic gold coated chips was evaluated on our previously reported immunomagnetic CTC capture system and compared to the performance of a regular chip. Three main performance metrics were evaluated: capture efficiency, capture reproducibility, and clinical efficacy. Use of the plasmonic chip to capture SK-BR-3 cells in PBS, resulted in a capture efficiency of 82%, compared to 76% with a regular chip. Both chips showed excellent capture reproducibility for all three cells lines evaluated (MCF-7, SK-BR-3, Colo 205) in both PBS and peripheral blood, with R² values ranging from 0.983 to 0.996. Finally, performance of the plasmonic chip was evaluated on thirteen peripheral blood samples in patients with both breast and prostate cancer. The regular chip detected 2-8 cells per 5 mL of blood, while the plasmonic chip detected 8-85 cells per 5 mL of blood in parallel samples. In summary, we successfully demonstrate improved CTC capture and detection capabilities through use of plasmonic-enhanced near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence screening in both in vitro and ex vivo experiments. This work not only has the potential to improve clinical outcomes though improved CTC analysis, but also demonstrates successful interface design between plasmonic materials and cell capture for bioanalytical applications.