Article
Biophysics
Jiaju Shi, Chunqin Zhao, Meiqi Shen, Zichao Chen, Jinhua Liu, Shusheng Zhang, Zhen Zhang
Summary: This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of label-free and label-based methods commonly used in the isolation of CTCs, and systematically reviews the most recent advances in the combination of microfluidic chips and biosensing for the enrichment of circulating tumor cells, proposing the current barriers and developmental trends in CTCs research.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xinbang Jiang, Xiangyun Zhang, Chen Guo, Yameng Yu, Boya Ma, Zhuang Liu, Yamin Chai, Lichun Wang, Yunzheng Du, Biao Wang, Nan Li, Dong Dong, Yueguo Li, Xinglu Huang, Lailiang Ou
Summary: Immunomagnetic nanoparticles (IMNs) are a potential method for early cancer diagnosis, metastasis examination, and treatment guidance by isolating rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood. However, the formation of a protein corona on the nanoparticles reduces their performance in body fluids. To overcome this, a novel strategy was developed to precoat the protein corona onto magnetic nanoparticles (C-MNs) and conjugate their surfaces with an immuno-antibody, resulting in decreased protein adsorption and non-specific cell binding. The functionalized C-MNs (IC-MNs) maintained highly specific CTC capture performance when exposed to blood plasma, demonstrating their potential as a clinically applicable diagnostic tool.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liang Chen, Shihua Luo, Zhilei Ge, Chunhai Fan, Yang Yang, Qian Li, Yuanqing Zhang
Summary: The research team established an unbiased enrichment method for CTCs using a DNAzyme-catalyzed strategy based on DNA framework. This method has higher enrichment efficiency and lower bias compared to traditional methods, providing a new solution for CTC-based cancer diagnostics.
Review
Oncology
Mahmoud Labib, Shana O. Kelley
Summary: Analysis of circulating tumor cells provides valuable insights in precision oncology, revealing associations between CTCs molecular profiles and tumor response to therapy. However, current limitations hinder the widespread clinical implementation of CTCs, suggesting the need for further research and advanced technologies.
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shaodi Zhu, Zhenming Xie, Yuzhi Chen, Shiyue Liu, Yiu-Wa Kwan, Shuwen Zeng, Wu Yuan, Ho-Pui Ho
Summary: In this study, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) fiber probe that can work intravenously is proposed for real-time detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood. The continuous capture of CTCs enhances enrichment and improves enumeration accuracy. The plasmonic fiber probe demonstrates specific detection of breast cancer cells in flowing blood and has potential for clinical use in detecting low concentration biomarkers in circulating blood.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Han Chen, Sommer Y. Osman, Devon L. Moose, Marion Vanneste, Jared L. Anderson, Michael D. Henry, Robbyn K. Anand
Summary: This paper presents a dielectrophoretic method for selecting rare circulating melanoma cells (CMCs) without reliable surface antigens in blood. The method uses wireless bipolar electrodes (BPEs) aligned to nanoliter-scale chambers to individually capture CMCs for subsequent single-cell analysis. The study evaluated the dielectrophoretic response of melanoma cell lines, patient-derived melanoma cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using two different platforms to determine optimal conditions for CMC isolation. The results showed that the DEP-BPE platform achieved the highest capture efficiency at 50 kHz while maintaining a low rate of capture for unwanted PBMCs. The study also demonstrated successful isolation of melanoma cells from both contrived and clinical samples using the optimized conditions.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lili Chen, Wenpeng Zhou, Ziyin Ye, Xiaoming Zhong, Jianwen Zhou, Shaohong Chen, Wei Liu, Yu Sun, Lijuan Ren, Xiaojun Tan, Ji Cui, Zhirong Zeng, Weiling He, Zunfu Ke
Summary: Based on the assessment of CTCs, this study found that CEP8 and CK-positive CTCs have the potential to improve the risk stratification of stage II CRC patients. In the subgroup with clinical high risk, the number of preoperative CTCs is associated with treatment outcome. Moreover, if postoperative CTC levels remain above 4 for more than three consecutive time points, the recurrence rate is 100%.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Monika Vidlarova, Alona Rehulkova, Pavel Stejskal, Andrea Prokopova, Hanus Slavik, Marian Hajduch, Josef Srovnal
Summary: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are released from primary tumors and have been identified as a negative prognostic factor for survival in many types of cancer. They also provide valuable insights into tumor progression, cell senescence, and cancer dormancy. Various methods with different specificity, utility, costs, and sensitivity have been developed for isolating and characterizing CTCs, with novel techniques being developed to overcome limitations of existing methods. This literature review describes the current and emerging methods for enriching, detecting, isolating, and characterizing CTCs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jon F. Edd, Avanish Mishra, Kyle C. Smith, Ravi Kapur, Shyamala Maheswaran, Daniel A. Haber, Mehmet Toner
Summary: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which enter the bloodstream from solid tumors, have the potential to initiate metastases. However, due to their extreme rarity and similarities to leukocytes, isolating CTCs from large blood volumes at high yield and purity remains a challenge. Recent advancements in microfluidics have allowed for high-throughput sorting of cells along multiple dimensions.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kaifeng Zhao, Yaoping Liu, Hua Wang, Yanling Song, Xiaofeng Chen, Chen Huang, Qi Niu, Jiao Cao, Xin Chen, Wei Wang, Lingling Wu, Chaoyong Yang
Summary: The SUPER Filter system developed in this study offers a rapid, efficient, and selective method for isolating and analyzing tumor cells, with high efficiency and selectivity in capturing tumor cells while minimizing nonspecific binding. The system's high porosity allows for ultra-fast filtration and its larger micropore size reduces background cell capture, making it a promising tool for clinical application of tumor-cell-based liquid biopsy.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Chanyong Park, Abdurhaman Teyib Abafogi, Dinesh Veeran Ponnuvelu, Ilchan Song, Kisung Ko, Sungsu Park
Summary: This study focuses on improving the ATP luminescence assay for the detection of CTCs by using a 3D printed immunomagnetic concentrator (3DPIC) to separate and concentrate CTCs in the blood. The results show that 3DPIC can concentrate cancer cells in blood by 100 times within minutes, enabling the ATP luminescence assay to detect as low as 10 cells in blood, which is approximately 10 times more sensitive than using commercial kits for CTC concentration.
Article
Oncology
Reilly Fankhauser, Matthew Chang, Zachary Garrison, Rachel Berryman, Olivia M. Lucero, Allison Fuiten, Nicholas DePatie, Hilary Seifert, Rajan P. Kulkarni
Summary: Identification and investigation of cancer biomarkers is crucial in modern cancer research. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a type of biomarker that has attracted significant attention. Existing methods for CTC isolation have limitations in capturing the full heterogeneity of tumor cells. By incorporating a broader antibody cocktail, a new method has been designed to isolate CTCs for single-cell RNA analysis, providing a framework for capturing a more heterogeneous population of CTCs with wide applications in both research and clinical fields.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Michiel Stevens, Anouk Mentink, Afroditi Nanou, Frank A. W. Coumans, Khrystany T. Isebia, Jaco Kraan, Paul Hamberg, John W. M. Martens, Leon W. M. M. Terstappen
Summary: By reducing the ratio of enrichment reagents, it is possible to achieve higher purity of samples without losing the recovery of tumor cells, thereby obtaining a sufficient number of circulating tumor cells for comprehensive characterization in most metastatic prostate cancer patients.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Adity A. Pore, Swastika S. Bithi, Mina Zeinali, Hunaiz Bin Navaid, Sunitha Nagrath, Rakhshanda Layeequr Rahman, Siva A. Vanapalli
Summary: The study validates the ability of the Labyrinth microfluidic technology in isolating rare circulating cells in non-metastatic breast cancer patients, and reveals the distribution pattern of different CTC phenotypes in patients at different stages.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Can Li, Wei He, Nan Wang, Zhipeng Xi, Rongrong Deng, Xiyu Liu, Ran Kang, Lin Xie, Xin Liu
Summary: This paper reviews the recent research progress of microfluidic technology in CTCs separation and detection, discusses the potential application of microfluidic technology in the treatment of tumor metastasis, and briefly explores the development prospect of microfluidic biosensors.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pierre-Alexandre Goyette, Etienne Boulais, Frederic Normandeau, Gabriel Laberge, David Juncker, Thomas Gervais
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Matthias Geissler, Lidija Malic, Keith J. Morton, Liviu Clime, Jamal Daoud, Javier A. Hernandez-Castro, Nathalie Corneau, Burton W. Blais, Teodor Veres
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mcolisi Dlamini, Timothy E. Kennedy, David Juncker
MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING
(2020)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Edward N. Zhang, Jean-Pierre Clement, Alia Alameri, Andy Ng, Timothy E. Kennedy, David Juncker
Summary: Brain implants are increasingly used for neurological disorders treatment, but the mismatch between their Young's modulus and brain tissue exacerbates the foreign body response. The study introduces mechanically matched brain implants (MMBI) made from silicone, fabricated using new methods and a dissolvable sugar shuttle for reliable implantation. MMBIs show higher neuronal density and lower FBR near the tissue-implant interface compared to traditional implants, indicating improved functionality and reliability.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Frederic Normandeau, Andy Ng, Maiwenn Beaugrand, David Juncker
Summary: Antibody microarrays for multiplexed protein detection have shown lack of reproducibility due to spatial bias across glass slides. Different layouts of spot replicates were evaluated, with structured random replicates providing the most accurate estimation of assay variation. The study recommends detailed characterization of spatial bias and the use of distributed positive replicates in research and clinical applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Byeong-Ui Moon, Liviu Clime, Javier Alejandro Hernandez-Castro, Daniel Brassard, Christina Nassif, Lidija Malic, Teodor Veres
Summary: This study demonstrates the on-the-fly physical property changes of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) in microfluidic devices using a centrifugal microfluidic platform. Methods such as dynamically changing solution concentrations to transition ATPS between two phases and a single phase, as well as increasing liquid density by introducing different solution mixtures, were successfully implemented. The results show great potential for complex on-chip processing of ATPS and could be useful in applications like microparticle-based plasma protein analysis and blood cell fractionation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mohamed Yafia, Oriol Ymbern, Ayokunle O. Olanrewaju, Azim Parandakh, Ahmad Sohrabi Kashani, Johan Renault, Zijie Jin, Geunyong Kim, Andy Ng, David Juncker
Summary: This article introduces microfluidic chain reactions as a structured propagation of capillary flow events. Monolithic chips integrating microfluidic chain reactions are printed in three dimensions and powered by the free energy of a paper pump to autonomously execute liquid handling algorithms. Microfluidic chain reactions have wide-ranging applications in liquid handling and point-of-care diagnostics.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Zijie Jin, Andy Ng, Corinne F. Maurice, David Juncker
Summary: MiCoMo is a low-cost, benchtop multi-bioreactor system that simulates the human colon environment, allowing for the study of gut microbial communities with high throughput and multiplexing capabilities.
Article
Polymer Science
Kebin Li, Javier Alejandro Hernandez-Castro, Keith Morton, Teodor Veres
Summary: Freestanding polymeric membranes with various structures and sizes were successfully fabricated over large areas via solvent removal of sacrificial scaffolds, enabling different applications.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Azim Parandakh, Oriol Ymbern, William Jogia, Johan Renault, Andy Ng, David Juncker
Summary: Researchers have developed a novel chip-based ELISA technology that enables rapid and highly sensitive antibody detection. The chip simplifies chip loading and pipetting through autonomous aliquoting functionality, and can accommodate higher surfactant concentrations. The ELISA chip can complete the assay in 1.5 hours and exhibits comparable accuracy and performance to central laboratory ELISA.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rosalie Martel, Molly L. Shen, Philippe DeCorwin-Martin, Lorenna Oliveira Fernandes de Araujo, David Juncker
Summary: This study presents a high-throughput, multiplexed analysis method for EV inner and outer proteins, which can simultaneously detect multiple proteins in immobilized EVs on a surface, opening up possibilities for combinatorial protein profiling.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vahid Karamzadeh, Ahmad Sohrabi-Kashani, Molly Shen, David Juncker
Summary: This study introduces the digital manufacturing of functional microfluidic systems in the form of structurally encoded, self-powered capillaric circuits (CC) using new hydrophilic inks. Monolithic CCs are 3D printed with design innovations including circular cross-sections, embedded stop valves, and gyroid capillary pumps. Programmable liquid handling via retention burst valves and microfluidic chain reactions are shown and applied to an immunoassay.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jeffrey D. Munzar, Andy Ng, David Juncker
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2019)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Javier Alejandro Hernandez-Castro, Kebin Li, Jamal Daoud, David Juncker, Teodor Veres