Microfluidic Cavity for CTC Capture via Advection Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for isolating Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) using microfluidic technology are complex, time-consuming, and require large blood samples, resulting in low CTC purity and sensitivity, which hampers early disease identification and metastatic risk assessment.
Innovation Solution
A target capturing apparatus with a cavity structure featuring a capture region and a specific combination, such as antibodies, that effectively captures CTCs by utilizing a mixing and advection region to enhance separation efficiency, allowing for precise capture and counting of CTCs within a biological sample.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If microfluidic technology is used for CTC separation, then CTC detection capability is improved, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into distinct functional modules: a mixing region with mixing components for sample preparation, an advection region for controlled fluid transport, and a capture region with capture components for CTC isolation. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function efficiently, simplifying the overall process while maintaining high detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing region performs preliminary mixing of the blood sample with targeting agents before the sample enters the capture region. This preliminary action ensures that CTCs are properly labeled and prepared for capture, reducing the complexity of subsequent detection steps and improving overall process efficiency.
2Device complexity
If conventional CTC separation methods are used, then the process is simpler, but CTC purity and sensitivity are low
Solution Approach 1:
The device introduces mixing components and capture components as intermediary elements that facilitate selective CTC isolation. The mixing components enable uniform distribution of targeting agents, while the capture components provide specific binding sites for CTCs, thereby enhancing purity and sensitivity without requiring complex external processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the device are designed with locally optimized properties: the mixing region contains structures that enhance mixing efficiency, the advection region is designed for optimal fluid flow characteristics, and the capture region incorporates high-affinity binding sites. This local quality optimization ensures high CTC purity and sensitivity while maintaining operational simplicity.
3Quantity of substance
If large blood samples are used for CTC isolation, then more CTCs can be captured, but the sample processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables continuous processing of blood samples through the integrated mixing and capture regions. The advection region maintains continuous fluid flow, allowing large sample volumes to be processed without interruption, thereby capturing more CTCs while minimizing processing time delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes hydraulic principles in the advection region to control fluid flow and transport samples through the capture region efficiently. This hydraulic design allows for rapid processing of large sample volumes, increasing CTC capture quantity without proportionally increasing processing time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus significantly improves the capture rate and purity of CTCs, facilitating more sensitive disease detection and risk assessment by efficiently separating CTCs from other blood components.
Implementation Method 1
the advection region is configured to control a flow rate of the sample to enter the capture region
Implementation Method 2
a combination specifically combined with a to-be-captured target is included in the capture component so as to capture the target in a sample entering the cavity structure
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a target capturing apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof, and a target detecting method. The target capturing apparatus includes a cavity structure, the cavity structure includes: an inlet portion, an outlet portion and a capture region positioned between the inlet portion and the outlet portion, and the capture region includes a capture component, and a combination specifically combined with a to-be-captured target is included in the capture component so as to capture the target in a sample entering the cavity structure.