University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States
Abstract: Extensive research has underscored the significant clinical potential of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the realm of precision oncology. The retrieval of viable CTCs has opened avenues for culturing these cells and establishing patient-derived CTC xenograft models, facilitating personalized drug testing. However, despite the transformative impact CTCs can have on cancer care, research in this area has faced notable impediments. This can be attributed to the lack of sensitive and efficient enrichment technologies capable of preserving CTC viability for subsequent analysis. Inertial-based microfluidic devices have emerged as a promising solution to surmount these obstacles. These devices offer advantages such as label-free separation, but they still grapple with the challenge of efficiently recovering viable CTCs safely at high throughputs. To address this challenge, we introduce a computational model for a novel inertial-based microfluidic device that harnesses external loads to manipulate microstructures and control secondary flow. The device is constructed using a patterned elastomer whose channels contract vertically and expand laterally when subjected to compressive loading. These deforming channels induce changes in the flow pattern within the device, facilitating the separation and capture of CTCs through the generation of secondary flow. Efficient release of the captured CTCs is achieved by deactivating the secondary flow upon decompression of the microstructures. This innovative microfluidic device excels in the efficient enrichment of viable CTCs from whole blood. The recovery of viable CTCs is pivotal for subsequent downstream applications, which hold immense promise for advancing personalized precision medicine in cancer treatment.