Polymer-Coated Glass Substrate for Selective Cell Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing polymer-coated glass substrates capture both normal blood cells and specific cancer cells, making it difficult to selectively isolate cancer cells from biological fluids.
Innovation Solution
A polymer-coated glass substrate with a polymer layer having an elastic modulus of 1.20 MPa or lower in water or an aqueous solution, which preferentially captures softer cancer cells while reducing the capture of harder blood cells, achieved by controlling the molecular weight of the polymer and film thickness, and optionally using surface treatments like primers or silane coupling agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a polymer-coated substrate is used to capture cells, then specific cells such as cancer cells can be captured, but normal cells such as blood cells are also captured together, reducing selectivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the elastic modulus of the polymer layer to 1.20 MPa or lower. This specific parameter adjustment creates a soft surface that selectively interacts with cancer cells based on their mechanical properties, thereby improving capture selectivity while reducing non-specific blood cell capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by creating a polymer layer with specifically engineered softness (low elastic modulus) at the surface level, while maintaining the structural integrity of the glass substrate. This localized property differentiation enables selective cell capture without affecting the overall substrate strength.
2Measurement precision
If the polymer layer is made softer to improve cancer cell capture, then selectivity increases, but the structural integrity of the substrate may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the substrate system into two distinct functional layers: a soft polymer layer (≤1.20 MPa elastic modulus) for selective cell capture and a rigid glass substrate for structural support. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its properties independently without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining a soft polymer coating with a rigid glass substrate. This composite structure integrates the advantages of both materials: the polymer provides selective cell capture through its softness, while the glass substrate maintains overall structural integrity and mechanical strength.
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 substrate effectively reduces the capture of normal cells like blood cells while enhancing the capture of specific cancer cells, allowing for more accurate analysis and drug screening by enabling the enumeration and culture of captured tumor cells.
Implementation Method 1
a surface of the polymer layer has an elastic modulus in water or an aqueous solution of 1.20 MPa or lower
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a polymer-coated glass substrate that can reduce the capture of normal cells such as blood cells and selectively capture specific cells such as cancer cells. The present disclosure relates to a polymer-coated glass substrate which includes a glass substrate and a polymer layer formed on a surface of the glass substrate, a surface of the polymer layer having an elastic modulus in water or an aqueous solution of 1.20 MPa or lower.