Cross-Flow CTC Retention Filter with Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for collecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood are inefficient and do not effectively concentrate these cells for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Innovation Solution
An extracorporeal fluidic device with a cross-flow module and recirculation channel, utilizing a CTC retention filter with specific pore sizes and shapes to separate CTCs from other blood cells, allowing for the concentration and collection of CTCs while returning normal blood components to the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If current collection methods are used, then CTCs can be obtained, but the concentration is insufficient for effective diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a recirculation system where blood continuously flows through the filtration device multiple times. The retentate channel circulates blood containing retained CTCs back to the inlet, allowing repeated filtration passes without requiring additional blood draws. This continuous circulation maximizes CTC concentration by accumulating cells across multiple filtration cycles, directly resolving the contradiction between obtaining sufficient quantity and maintaining collection efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a specialized filtration membrane with precisely engineered porous structure. The membrane contains pores of specific size distributions that allow efficient retention of CTCs while permitting passage of smaller blood cells and plasma components. This porous material design enables high-concentration CTC collection from large blood volumes, directly addressing the insufficient concentration problem while maintaining effective collection productivity.
2Quantity of substance
If a filtration device is used to separate CTCs, then CTCs can be retained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the blood processing function into distinct segmented channels: a retentate channel for CTC-containing blood and a permeate channel for filtered blood components. This segmentation allows each channel to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system simplicity. The physical separation of flow paths enables effective CTC retention without requiring complex multi-component device architectures.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration membrane serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a size-based filter to retain CTCs, provides a surface for cell accumulation and concentration, and maintains structural integrity under recirculation flow conditions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby retaining CTCs effectively while minimizing device complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If recirculation is implemented to concentrate CTCs, then CTC concentration increases, but the treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recirculation system operates continuously, allowing blood to pass through the filtration membrane multiple times in rapid succession. Each circulation pass contributes to CTC accumulation without requiring pauses or interruptions. This continuous operation achieves high CTC concentrations efficiently, minimizing the treatment time penalty that would otherwise result from sequential processing methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts flow rate parameters during recirculation to optimize CTC concentration speed. By controlling the flow velocity and circulation rate, the device maximizes the number of filtration passes within a given time frame. This parameter optimization ensures that CTC concentration increases rapidly without proportionally increasing treatment duration, resolving the time-concentration trade-off.
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 device captures a statistically significant quantity of CTCs, enabling their use in research, diagnostics, and therapeutic applications, with high concentrations of CTCs and white blood cells achieved in the retentate channel, facilitating improved drug discovery and therapeutic effects.
Implementation Method 1
The first filter can be constructed such that CTCs are retained in the retentate channel while other cells pass through the first filter to the permeate channel
Implementation Method 2
The cross-flow module can include a retentate channel, a permeate channel, and a CTC retention filter
Data Source
AI summary
A device can be used to retain circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The device can include a cross-flow module with a retentate channel and a permeate channel. A filter in the cross-flow module can separate the retentate channel from the permeate channel. The filter can be constructed such that CTCs are retained in the retentate channel while other cells can pass through the filter into the permeate channel. A recirculation channel can direct a flow from an outlet of the retentate channel back to an inlet of the retentate channel to thereby concentrate CTCs in the retentate flow.