Nanostructured Planar Support for Rare Cell Immobilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for isolating and immobilizing rare cells from biological fluids, such as Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), often alter cell morphology due to external stimuli and flow stresses, leading to inaccurate diagnostic results, and fail to preserve the biological heterogeneity of the sample.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a planar support with a nanostructured surface coated with materials like Titanium Dioxide, where cells are adhered at ambient temperature and fixed within minutes, without flow or pressure, ensuring minimal morphological alteration and high adhesion efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cells are subjected to flow through obstacles or centrifugation to isolate rare cells, then cell isolation is achieved, but cell morphology is altered and diagnostic accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful flow stress and mechanical obstacles from the cell isolation process. Instead of forcing cells through obstacles or applying centrifugal force, the invention uses a passive adhesion-based extraction where cells naturally attach to the planar support surface, eliminating the morphological damage caused by aggressive isolation methods while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical isolation systems (obstacles, centrifugation, flow channels) with a surface adhesion-based system. Cells are isolated through their natural tendency to adhere to the functionalized planar support surface rather than being forced through mechanical barriers, thereby preserving their native morphology and avoiding the diagnostic inaccuracies caused by mechanical stress.
2Productivity
If cells are subjected to prolonged treatment or manipulation to isolate and characterize rare cells, then analysis is enabled, but biological heterogeneity is lost and cellular response to stress alters morphology
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary functionalization of the planar support surface with antibodies or receptors that specifically recognize target cells. This pre-prepared surface enables immediate and specific cell adhesion upon sample application, eliminating the need for prolonged manipulation or treatment steps while maintaining the biological heterogeneity and native state of the cells for accurate diagnostic analysis.
3Reliability
If conventional methods are used to immobilize cells, then cell fixation is achieved, but processing time is long and sample volume requirements are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a self-service adhesion mechanism where cells automatically attach to the functionalized planar support surface through their inherent biological affinity for the surface-coated antibodies or receptors. This eliminates the need for prolonged fixation procedures or extensive sample processing, achieving reliable cell immobilization rapidly and reducing both processing time and sample volume requirements.
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
Preserves cell morphology and biological heterogeneity, allowing for accurate analysis of rare cells with high adhesion efficiency, reducing processing time by 100-fold and requiring fewer samples for analysis.
Implementation Method 1
a planar support particularly suitable for use in an analytical device; said planar support comprising a surface functionalised with a surface coating comprising a nanostructured material... depositing a laminar layer of said biological sample on said functionalised surface of said planar support in order to cause the cells contained in the biological sample to adhere to the functionalised surface
Data Source
AI summary
A method for immobilising live cells within biological samples for analytical and diagnostic purposes that comprises the steps of providing a biological sample containing a predetermined number of cells to analyse; providing a planar support particularly suitable for use in an analytical device, the planar support comprising a surface functionalised with a surface coating comprising a nanostructured material; depositing a laminar layer of said biological sample on said functionalised surface of said planar support in order to cause the cells contained in the biological sample to adhere to the functionalised surface of the planar support; and positioning a fixative on the laminar layer of the biological sample. All of the above-mentioned steps are carried out at a temperature below at least 25° C.