Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
J Mater Chem B. 2021 Sep 15;9(35):7196-7204. doi: 10.1039/d1tb00739d.
Label-free cell sorting devices are of great significance for biomedical research and clinical therapeutics. However, current platforms for label-free cell sorting cannot achieve continuity and selectivity simultaneously, resulting in complex steps and limited reliability. Here, an immunoaffinity-based cell catch-transport-release thermo-chemo-mechanical coupling hydrogel (iCatch) device is reported. It contains a temperature-responsive hydrogel that can generate spatial movement synergically with the reversible binding of affinity handle modified. The functionalized hydrogel is embedded inside a biphasic microfluidic platform to enable cell transportation between the flows. The cell sorting capability and biocompatibility of the iCatch device were validated with CCRF-CEM cells as a proof-of-concept, and CCRF-CEM-specific aptamers with thermo-responsive affinity as well as a hydrogel with temperature-dependent volume were employed accordingly. A cell catching efficiency of ∼40% and a recovery rate of ∼70% were achieved. The iCatch device provides a high-throughput (∼900 cells mm s) platform for cell sorting and is ultimately valuable for downstream biomedical applications.
无标记细胞分选装置在生物医学研究和临床治疗中具有重要意义。然而，目前用于无标记细胞分选的平台不能同时实现连续性和选择性，导致步骤复杂且可靠性有限。在这里，报道了一种基于免疫亲和的细胞捕获-传输-释放热-化学-机械耦合水凝胶（iCatch）装置。它包含一个温度响应水凝胶，可与亲和处理修饰的可逆结合协同产生空间运动。功能化水凝胶被嵌入双相微流控平台中，以实现流之间的细胞运输。使用 CCRF-CEM 细胞作为概念验证，验证了 iCatch 装置的细胞分选能力和生物相容性，并相应地使用了具有热响应亲和性的 CCRF-CEM 特异性适体和具有温度依赖性体积的水凝胶。实现了约 40%的细胞捕获效率和约 70%的回收率。iCatch 装置为细胞分选提供了高通量（约 900 个细胞 mm s）平台，最终对下游生物医学应用具有重要价值。
