A device using a chitosan film and molecular capture agents detected breast-cancer cells in experiments. The work remains at a preclinical stage.
An international research team has developed a microfluidic chip designed to isolate circulating tumor cells from a small blood sample. The group includes researchers from Southern Federal University, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, the Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a regional oncology center and Panjab University in India. The findings were published in the journal Microchemical Journal.
The chip’s channels are lined with a film made from chitosan, a polymer derived from crustacean shells. Folic acid molecules and DNA aptamers are attached to the surface to bind to tumor cells. The researchers say blood passes through the microchannels while the targeted cells adhere to the walls; a few millilitres of sample can be processed in about 20 minutes.
In experiments, the device was adapted to detect breast-cancer cells. The authors reported capturing 80–91 percent of circulating tumor cells, with more than 95 percent of captured cells remaining viable. These are results reported by the research team and do not show that the chip is ready for clinical diagnosis.
Co-author Alexander Guda told RIA Novosti that the device can be printed on a 3D printer in about 45 minutes and fitted with different capture agents for different cancer types. The researchers describe the work as an early step toward further testing. Clinical effectiveness has not been established; development continues on the channel design and capture selectivity.