Integrative Magneto‐Microfluidic Separation of Immune Cells Facilitates Clinical Functional Assays

Abstract

Accurately analyzing the functional activities of natural killer (NK) cells in clinical diagnosis remains challenging due to their coupling with other immune effectors. To address this, an integrated immune cell separator is required, which necessitates a streamlined sample preparation workflow including immunological cell isolation, removal of excess red blood cells (RBCs), and buffer exchange for downstream analysis. Here, a self‐powered integrated magneto‐microfluidic cell separation (SMS) chip is presented, which outputs high‐purity target immune cells by simply inputting whole blood. The SMS chip intensifies the magnetic field gradient using an iron sphere‐filled inlet reservoir for high‐performance immuno‐magnetic cell selection and separates target cells size‐selectively using a microfluidic lattice for RBC removal and buffer exchange. In addition, the chip incorporates self‐powered microfluidic pumping through a degassed polydimethylsiloxane chip, enabling the rapid isolation of NK cells at the place of blood collection within 40 min. This chip is used to isolate NK cells from whole blood samples of hepatocellular cancer patients and healthy volunteers and examined their functional activities to identify potential abnormalities in NK cell function. The SMS chip is simple to use, rapid to sort, and requires small blood volumes, thus facilitating the use of immune cell subtypes for cell‐based diagnosis.

Liver regeneration requires reciprocal release of tissue vesicles to govern rapid hepatocyte proliferation

“…As assessed by TEM and NTA, the isolation procedure did not exert significant impact on the LT-EV morphology and size distribution, suggesting that the properties of these Ti-EVs were largely maintained. Indeed, with advantages of potent specificity and efficiency, the immunomagnetic separation assay based on immunomagnetic particles has been acknowledged as a powerful system for the enrichment of target marked cells [32, 33]. Utilization of this approach in the EV research will benefit the in-depth biological and mechanistic investigations of endogenous Ti-EVs, as well as t diagnostic and therapeutic applications.…”

Enhanced functionalities of immune cells separated by a microfluidic lattice: assessment based on holotomography

“…The PDMS chip integrates the principles of a microfluidic lattice separator and a pneumatic circuit to achieve pumpless WBC separation, as previously described [ 22 , 23 ]. The microfluidic lattice consists of an array of main channels and side channels connecting them, which are designed to separate two blood cell types as WBCs flow along the main channels, and red blood cells (RBCs) exit through the separation channels (Fig.…”

Enhanced functionalities of immune cells separated by microfludic lattice: assessment based on holotomography

“…The PDMS chip integrates the principles of a microfluidic lattice separator and a pneumatic circuit to achieve pumpless WBC separation, as previously described [21,22]. The microfluidic lattice consists of an array of main channels and side channels connecting them, which are designed to separate two blood cell types as WBCs flow along the main channels, and red blood cells (RBCs) exit through the separation channels (Fig.…”