Precision Isolation of Circulating Leukemia Cells in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Patients Using a Novel Microfluidic Device and Its Clinical Applications

Abstract

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is a prevalent hematologic malignancy characterized by the malignant transformation of myeloid cells and their proliferation in the peripheral blood. The management of CML poses significant challenges, particularly in detecting and eradicating minimal residual disease, which is crucial for preventing relapse and improving survival outcomes. Traditional minimal residual disease detection methods, such as bone marrow aspiration, are invasive and have limitations which include the potential for sampling errors and false negatives. This study introduces a novel label-free microfluidic chip designed for the segregation and recovery of circulating leukemia cells, offering a non-invasive liquid biopsy approach with potential applications in precision medicine. Over July 2021 to October 2023, we recruited 56 CML patients across various disease stages and collected blood samples for analysis using our microfluidic device. The device demonstrated high efficacy in isolating circulating leukemia cells, with an optimal capture efficiency of 78% at a sample flow rate of 3 mL/h. Our results indicate that the microfluidic device can efficiently segregate and quantify circulating leukemia cells, providing a detailed understanding of CML progression and treatment response. The significant reduction in circulating leukemia cell counts in patients in complete remission highlights the device’s potential in monitoring treatment efficacy. Furthermore, the device’s sensitivity in detecting minimal residual disease could offer a more reliable prognostic tool for therapeutic decision-making in CML management.

LncRNA BCYRN1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target and Diagnostic Marker in Serum Exosomes in Bladder Cancer

“…In recent years, liquid biopsies have been actively studied and clinically applied because of improvements in the technologies for analyzing trace specimen samples. After collecting specimens, cell-free DNA (cfDNA), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells, proteins, and exosomes, which are all contained in liquid samples, are analyzed to determine the conditions of cells at primary and metastatic sites [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ]. Exosomes are secreted from living cells, whereas ctDNAs/cfDNAs are derived from necrotic or apoptotic cells [ 64 ].…”