Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Institute of NanoEngineering and MicroSystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Lab Chip. 2024 Mar 26;24(7):1965-1976. doi: 10.1039/d3lc01007d.
We reported a microfluidic system for sorting of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which can house DNAs, RNAs, lipids, proteins, and metabolites that are important in intercellular communication. Their presence within bodily fluids has demonstrated potential in both clinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Furthermore, EVs exhibit distinct subtypes categorized by their sizes, each endowed with unique biophysical properties. Despite several existing techniques for EV isolation and purification, diminished purity and prolonged processing times still hamper clinical utility; comprehensive capture of EVs remains an ongoing pursuit. To address these challenges, we devised an innovative method for automated sorting of nano-scale EVs employing optically-induced dielectrophoresis on an integrated microfluidic chip. With this approach, EVs of three distinct size categories (small: 100-150 nm, medium-sized: 150-225 nm, and large: 225-350 nm) could be isolated at a purity of 86%. This new method has substantial potential in expediting EV research and diagnostics.
我们报道了一种用于细胞外囊泡 (EVs) 分选的微流控系统，这些囊泡中包含在细胞间通讯中起重要作用的 DNA、RNA、脂质、蛋白质和代谢物。它们在体液中的存在在临床诊断和治疗应用中都显示出了潜力。此外，EVs 根据其大小表现出不同的亚型，每种亚型都具有独特的物理特性。尽管已经有几种 EV 分离和纯化的技术，但纯度降低和处理时间延长仍然阻碍了临床应用；全面捕获 EVs 仍然是一个持续的追求。为了解决这些挑战，我们设计了一种用于自动化纳米级 EV 分选的创新方法，在集成微流控芯片上采用光诱导介电泳。使用这种方法，可以以 86%的纯度分离出三种不同大小的 EV（小：100-150nm，中：150-225nm，大：225-350nm）。这种新方法在加速 EV 研究和诊断方面具有很大的潜力。
