Microfluidic device isolates individual cancer cells from blood samples

The device separates the various cell types found in blood by their size and could eventually lead to rapid, cheap liquid biopsies to help detect cancer and develop targeted treatment plans. The findings are reported in Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

"This new microfluidics chip lets us separate cancer cells from whole blood or minimally-diluted blood," said Ian Papautsky, the Richard and Loan Hill Professor of Bioengineering in the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Engineering and corresponding author on the paper. "While devices for detecting cancer cells circulating in the blood are becoming available, most are relatively expensive and are out of reach of many research labs or hospitals. Our device is cheap, and doesn't require much specimen preparation or dilution, making it fast and easy to use."

The ability to successfully isolate cancer cells is a crucial step in enabling liquid biopsy where cancer could be detected through a simple blood sample. This would eliminate the discomfort and cost of tissue biopsies which use needles or surgical procedures as part of cancer diagnosis. Liquid biopsy could also be useful in tracking the efficacy of chemotherapy, and for detecting cancer in organs difficult to access through traditional biopsy techniques.