Fetal Cell Capture Module with Disulfide Bond Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for fetal cell capture in maternal blood are inefficient, resulting in low purity and high costs due to the low levels of circulating fetal cells and high maternal blood cell background, making non-invasive prenatal diagnosis challenging.
Innovation Solution
A fetal cell capture module and microfluidic chip using recognition molecules attached via organic conjugates with disulfide bonds for specific capture and release of fetal cells, allowing for high-purity and high-efficiency capture and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If physical separation methods are used to capture fetal cells, then marker-dependent separation is avoided, but cell loss increases and enrichment efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces magnetic beads coated with specific antibodies as an intermediary tool. These magnetic beads specifically bind to fetal cells through antibody-antigen recognition, enabling marker-dependent capture. The magnetic beads act as a mediator that selectively targets fetal cells while allowing magnetic separation to isolate them from maternal blood cells, thus achieving both specificity and high enrichment efficiency without direct manual manipulation.
2Manufacturing precision
If laser microdissection is used to release captured cells, then cell purity is maintained, but operational complexity and technical threshold increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical laser microdissection system with a simpler magnetic separation system. After fetal cells are captured by antibody-coated magnetic beads, a magnet is applied to collect the bead-cell complexes. The magnetic beads are then washed to remove non-specifically bound cells, and finally, the fetal cells are released by disrupting the antibody-antigen interaction. This mechanical-magnetic approach maintains high purity while dramatically reducing operational complexity and technical threshold compared to laser microdissection.
3Quantity of substance
If initial enrichment procedures such as erythrocyte lysis or density centrifugation are performed, then fetal cell concentration is increased, but fetal cell loss or damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs antibody-coated magnetic beads that actively and specifically seek out and bind to fetal cells in the maternal blood sample. This self-service mechanism allows the fetal cells to be directly captured from whole blood without requiring preliminary enrichment steps like erythrocyte lysis or density centrifugation. The specific antibody-antigen interaction ensures that fetal cells are selectively bound and concentrated while maintaining their integrity, avoiding the mechanical stress and potential damage associated with traditional enrichment procedures.
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
Enables efficient and accurate capture and release of fetal cells, reducing background interference and enabling whole genome analysis, overcoming the limitations of existing techniques.
Implementation Method 1
the cell(s) are released by chemically cleaving the disulfide bonds in the organic conjugate L
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a fetal cell capture module, a microfluidic chip for fetal cell capture, and methods for using the same. The fetal cell capture module comprises a cell capture carrier and recognition molecule(s) for specific capture the cell(s). The recognition molecule is attached to the surface of the carrier via an organic conjugate L comprising disulfide bonds. The surface of the chip is modified with recognition molecules that specifically capture fetal cells via organic conjugates comprising disulfide bonds. The recognition molecule, after capturing the cell, achieves the release of the cell by chemically cleaving the disulfide bonds in the organic coupling conjugate. The present invention enables the capture of fetal cell(s) from whole blood without pre-treatment with a high capture rate, low cell loss, simple and accurate cell release operation, and the efficient and noninvasive release of fetal cells and whole genome analysis.