Microfluidic Device for the Continuous Separation of Circulating Tumor Cells Using Dielectrophoresis

Label free separation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from other blood cells is preferred over biomarkers-based tests because to date, global CTC antigens have not been recognized, in addition, the process of conjugation and resulting cell retrieval can influence CTC characteristics and survival. To deal with this challenge, a novel microfluidic device for high-throughput continuous CTCs separation using 2-D hydrodynamic-Dielectrophoresis process was proposed. Hydrodynamic focusing and particles trajectories were examined, and the separation efficiency and migration properties of the cell mixture were investigated over a wide range of flow parameters and electric field intensities. The findings showed how the suggested microchannel has a special capacity to separate cells in large quantities. Polystyrene beads of 20 μm size were isolated from a blood sample (which contains RBCs and WBCs) with an efficiency of 84.62% by applying voltage of 15Vp-p at 80 kHz through short wires inserted into PDMS substrate. Finally, the findings showed that 84% of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells as a replacement for CTCs were collected.