Automated sample processing

Automated sample processing

Cell-based analysis of tumor biopsies requires that the tissue is first dissociated into a single cell suspension. Currently this is accomplished using multi-step procedures that include digestion with proteolytic enzymes (trypsin, collagenase), mechanical shearing (pipetting, vortexing), and filtering to remove aggregates. This process requires infrastructure in the form of conventional laboratory equipment, skilled technicians, and significant time during which the sample can decay. To address these issues, we are developing a novel microfluidic device to mechanically disrupt the tumor tissue into single cells using hydrodynamic forces. This would advance tumor tissue processing by automating and decreasing the time of dissociation procedures, as well as avoiding enzymatic treatment that may cleave key surface biomarkers. The core design principle is to gradually increase mechanical forces in a controlled manner using hydrodynamic features that decrease in scale from millimeters down to the size of small aggregates and individual cells.