Tapered Slit Cell Treatment Device for Cancer Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating cancer, such as using anti-cancer agents or radioactive irradiation, often damage normal cells and are ineffective in preventing cancer metastasis, making it difficult to maintain patients' quality of life and safely administer blood treatments.
Innovation Solution
A cell treatment device with a slit member having tapered through holes that allow cancer cells to pass through, enabling physical, chemical, or biologically activating actions, such as trapping, apoptosis induction, and immune cell activation, while minimizing clogging and preserving blood usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If foreign substances such as magnetic particles are added to blood for isolating circulating cancer cells, then cancer cell isolation efficiency is improved, but blood usability deteriorates due to contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes circulating cancer cells from blood using a physical filtration method with slit-shaped through holes, eliminating the need for foreign substances like magnetic particles. The cancer cells are trapped in the through holes based on size difference, allowing clean separation without contaminating the blood with foreign materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the chemical/biological method (magnetic particles binding to cancer cells) with a purely mechanical physical filtration system. The slit-shaped through holes mechanically trap cancer cells based on size exclusion, substituting the need for magnetic or chemical agents with a simple structural filter.
2Reliability
If anti-cancer agents or radioactive irradiation are used to attack cancer, then cancer cell destruction is improved, but normal cell damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating a specific physical environment in the through holes where only cancer cells are trapped and subjected to treatment. The slit-shaped structure provides a localized zone for cancer cell concentration, allowing targeted actions (such as applying anti-cancer agents or irradiation) only to the trapped cancer cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.
Solution Approach 2:
The slit-shaped through holes act as an intermediary structure that selectively traps cancer cells while allowing normal cells to pass through. This intermediary mechanism separates cancer cells from normal cells physically, enabling subsequent treatments to affect only the trapped cancer cells and not the normal cells in the blood.
3Measurement precision
If through holes are made small to trap cancer cells, then cancer cell trapping efficiency is improved, but flow channel clogging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses asymmetric slit-shaped through holes where the width in one direction is smaller than the cancer cell diameter (for trapping) while the length in the perpendicular direction is sufficiently large (preventing clogging). This asymmetric geometry allows cancer cells to be trapped effectively while maintaining adequate flow channels that resist clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention solves the clogging problem by transitioning from a one-dimensional pore size consideration to a two-dimensional slit geometry. The through holes have a very small width (for trapping) but a sufficiently large length (for maintaining flow), utilizing the second dimension to prevent clogging while maintaining trapping efficiency in the first dimension.
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 efficiently subjects cancer cells to desired actions, reducing metastasis risks and maintaining blood quality for administration, thereby improving treatment efficacy and patient quality of life.
Implementation Method 1
the through hole having a tapered portion, in which the width of a cross section of the tapered portion orthogonal in the one direction reduces from the first surface toward the second surface side, and is smaller than an average diameter of the cancer cells at an end on the second surfaces side
Implementation Method 2
causing at least the cancer cells to be subjected to at least one of a physical action, a chemical action, and a biologically activating action
Data Source
AI summary
A cell treatment device which allows cell dispersion liquid including cancer cells to pass therethrough to cause at least the cancer cells to be subjected to at least one of a physical action, a chemical action, and a biologically activating action, includes: a slit member having a first surface and a second surface and including a through hole having a slit shape penetrating from the first surface to the second surface and extending in one direction, the through hole having a tapered portion, wherein the width of a cross section of the tapered portion orthogonal in the one direction reduces from the first surface toward the second surface side, and is smaller than an average diameter of the cancer cells at an end on the second surfaces side, and the cell dispersion liquid is allowed to pass from the first surface side through the through hole to the second surface side.