We report a new lipid bilayer-mediated strategy for the detection and enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that are shed from a primary tumor site and enter into the bloodstream. Microfluidic devices that integrate nanostructured surfaces have been explored as a promising method for capturing CTCs efficiently. Existing approaches suffer from low capture purity due to clogging and nonspecific cell adhesion, impeding effective translation into routine patient care. To address this issue, we use supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) to prevent the adhesion of nonspecific cells and incorporate biotin-streptavidin conjugated antibodies for the specific detection of CTCs. We use Ewing sarcoma (EWS), an aggressive form of bone and soft tissue tumors with high metastatic potential, as an initial model to test this microfluidic platform. Altogether, this study represents a key step to designing diagnostic tools that incorporate nanostructured, cell-interactive interfaces, which enable high-throughput isolation of EWS-derived CTCs, paving the way for exciting new diagnostic methods that enable “liquid biopsies” for monitoring a patient’s disease status and which can be connected directly to precision medicine analyses to inform therapeutic decisions.

Supported lipid bilayer coated microfluidic device for capturing circulating tumor cells

2019 Fall National Meeting

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