Isolation and characterization of tumor cells using shear stress measurements
AssigneeUniversity of Iowa Research Foundation
InventorsMichael D. Henry, J. Matthew Barnes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods for isolating viable cancer cells from a sample that comprises a mixture of cancerous cells and normal (non-cancerous) cells are provided. In the methods, a fluid preparation comprising a mixture of cancerous and normal cells is repeatedly exposed to fluid shear stresses, whereby the repeated exposure to the fluid shear stresses preferentially imparts fluid shear stress-resistance to the cancerous cells.
Claims10
-18. (canceled)
A microfluidic device for purifying a fluid sample comprising viable cancerous cells, viable normal cells and extracellular calcium, the microfluidic device comprising:
- (a) a conduit configured to contain the fluid sample;
- and
- (b) a motorized pump operably coupled to the conduit, the motorized pump configured to pass the fluid sample through the conduit at a flow rate,
- wherein the conduit and the motorized pump are configured to apply an initial pulse of fluid shear stress to the fluid sample in vitro, said initial pulse of fluid shear stress sufficient to induce a fluid shear stress resistance in the viable cancerous cells such that the magnitude of shear stress required to kill the viable cancerous cells is greater than the magnitude of shear stress required to kill the viable normal cells;
- and
- further wherein the conduit and the motorized pump are configured to subsequently apply one or more additional pulses of fluid shear stress to the fluid sample in vitro, said fluid shear stress sufficient to selectively kill the viable normal cells relative to the viable cancerous cells such that the ratio of the viable cancerous cells to the viable normal cells is increased.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.