Vijaya Sunkara

Lab-on-a-disc for fully integrated multiplex immunoassays.

This paper presents a cost-effective, rapid, and fully automated lab-on-a-disc for simultaneous detection of multiple protein biomarkers in raw samples such as whole blood or whole saliva. For the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, here, a novel centrifugal microfluidic layout was designed to conduct the simultaneous detection of high sensitivity C-reactive protein, cardiac troponin I, and N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide based on a bead-based sandwich type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Three reaction chambers are initially interconnected for the common processes such as sample injection, incubation, and washing and then isolated on-demand for the independent processes such as substrate incubation and final detection. The assay performances such as the limit of detection and the dynamic range were comparable with those of the conventional ELISA despite the significant reduction of the minimum sample volume (200 μL), the amount of washing buffer (700 μL), and the total process time (20 min).

Flexible fabrication and applications of polymer nanochannels and nanoslits.

Fluidic devices that employ nanoscale structures (<100 nm in one or two dimensions, slits or channels, respectively) are generating great interest due to the unique properties afforded by this size domain compared to their micro-scale counterparts. Examples of interesting nanoscale phenomena include the ability to preconcentrate ionic species at extremely high levels due to ion selective migration, unique molecular separation modalities, confined environments to allow biopolymer stretching and elongation and solid-phase bioreactions that are not constrained by mass transport artifacts. Indeed, many examples in the literature have demonstrated these unique opportunities, although predominately using glass, fused silica or silicon as the substrate material. Polymer microfluidics has established itself as an alternative to glass, fused silica, or silicon-based fluidic devices. The primary advantages arising from the use of polymers are the diverse fabrication protocols that can be used to produce the desired structures, the extensive array of physiochemical properties associated with different polymeric materials, and the simple and robust modification strategies that can be employed to alter the substrates surface chemistry. However, while the strengths of polymer microfluidics is currently being realized, the evolution of polymer-based nanofluidics has only recently been reported. In this critical review, the opportunities afforded by polymer-based nanofluidics will be discussed using both elastomeric and thermoplastic materials. In particular, various fabrication modalities will be discussed along with the nanometre size domains that they can achieve for both elastomer and thermoplastic materials. Different polymer substrates that can be used for nanofluidics will be presented along with comparisons to inorganic nanodevices and the consequences of material differences on the fabrication and operation of nanofluidic devices (257 references).

All-in-one centrifugal microfluidic device for size-selective circulating tumor cell isolation with high purity.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have gained increasing attention owing to their roles in cancer recurrence and progression. Due to the rarity of CTCs in the bloodstream, an enrichment process is essential for effective target cell characterization. However, in a typical pressure-driven microfluidic system, the enrichment process generally requires complicated equipment and long processing times. Furthermore, the commonly used immunoaffinity-based positive selection method is limited, as its recovery rate relies on EpCAM expression of target CTCs, which shows heterogeneity among cell types. Here, we propose a centrifugal-force-based size-selective CTC isolation platform that can isolate and enumerate CTCs from whole blood within 30 s with high purity. The device was validated using the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line spiked in phosphate-buffered saline and whole blood, and an average capture efficiency of 61% was achieved, which is typical for size-based filtration. The capture efficiency for whole blood samples varied from 44% to 84% under various flow conditions and dilution factors. Under the optimized operating conditions, a few hundred white blood cells per 1 mL of whole blood were captured, representing a 20-fold decrease compared to those obtained using a commercialized size-based CTC isolation device. In clinical validation, normalized CTC counts varied from 10 to 60 per 7.5 mL of blood from gastric and lung cancer patients, yielding a detection rate of 50% and 38%, respectively. Overall, our CTC isolation device enables rapid and label-free isolation of CTCs with high purity, which should greatly improve downstream molecular analyses of captured CTCs.

Investigation on the mechanism of aminosilane-mediated bonding of thermoplastics and poly(dimethylsiloxane).

A possible mechanism for the aminosilane-mediated room-temperature (RT) bonding of thermoplastics and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is presented. The plasma-activated thermoplastic or PDMS substrates were modified with alkoxy silanes having different organo functional groups, and their bonding characteristics were studied. Manual peeling tests revealed that strong bonding was realized only when the silane had a free amino group and at least two alkoxy groups on the silicon. Silanization was carried out in both aqueous and anhydrous conditions; bonding occurred readily at RT in the former case, but a longer incubation time or a higher temperature was needed for the latter. The presence of the silane on the surface was confirmed by contact-angle measurements and UV spectrophotometric, attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopic (ATR-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analyses. In the case where the aminosilane was deposited from aqueous solution, the amino functionality of the silane-catalyzed siloxane bond formation between the silanol on the modified thermoplastic surface and the silanol of the plasma-activated PDMS. In the case of anhydrous phase deposition, the aminosilane first catalyzed the hydrolysis of the ethoxy groups on the silicon, and then, catalyzed the condensation between the silanol groups of both materials. Shelf life tests of the modified thermoplastics showed that the aminosilane was stable over 2 weeks, and that bonding occurred at RT when the substrates were soaked in water before bonding.

Exodisc for Rapid, Size-Selective, and Efficient Isolation and Analysis of Nanoscale Extracellular Vesicles from Biological Samples

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived, nanoscale vesicles that carry nucleic acids and proteins from their cells of origin and show great potential as biomarkers for many diseases, including cancer. Efficient isolation and detection methods are prerequisites for exploiting their use in clinical settings and understanding their physiological functions. Here, we presented a rapid, label-free, and highly sensitive method for EV isolation and quantification using a lab-on-a-disc integrated with two nanofilters (Exodisc). Starting from raw biological samples, such as cell-culture supernatant (CCS) or cancer-patient urine, fully automated enrichment of EVs in the size range of 20-600 nm was achieved within 30 min using a tabletop-sized centrifugal microfluidic system. Quantitative tests using nanoparticle-tracking analysis confirmed that the Exodisc enabled >95% recovery of EVs from CCS. Additionally, analysis of mRNA retrieved from EVs revealed that the Exodisc provided >100-fold higher concentration of mRNA as compared with the gold-standard ultracentrifugation method. Furthermore, on-disc enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using urinary EVs isolated from bladder cancer patients showed high levels of CD9 and CD81 expression, suggesting that this method may be potentially useful in clinical settings to test urinary EV-based biomarkers for cancer diagnostics.

Versatile method for bonding hard and soft materials

We report a versatile method for bonding dissimilar materials which is an important issue in the fabrication of micro- and nanofluidic devices. Recently we have demonstrated a simple, surface modification based method for irreversible bonding of thermoplastics to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at room temperature. Here, we present the applicability of this technique for bonding various hard materials including metals and plastics to a soft material like PDMS. An irreversible bonding was formed when the hard material activated by oxygen plasma followed by aminopropyltriethoxy silane (APTES) modification was brought into contact with the plasma treated PDMS and incubated at room temperature. The modified surfaces were characterized by water contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The analytical data confirms the presence of silane moiety on the treated surface. The tensile strength values of the bonded devices were in the range between 40 kPa∼700 kPa, depending on the type of materials used for bonding. The tested hard materials include gold (Au), platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and Teflon and the soft materials include PDMS and butyl rubber.

Aminosilane layers on the plasma activated thermoplastics: Influence of solvent on its structure and morphology

The chemistry and the structure of aminosilane layer on the plasma activated thermoplastic substrates, e.g., polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and cyclic olefin co-polymer (COC) were investigated at the molecular level. The nature of the surface functional groups of the silane layers prepared by solution phase deposition in aqueous and anhydrous solvents were studied using various techniques including ellipsometry, goniometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR). The XPS analyses revealed the presence of various oxygen functionalities on the plasma activated thermoplastics. Considerable differences were observed for the structure of aminosilane depending on the solvent used for the reaction. Deposition from aqueous solution resulted in relatively flat and smooth surfaces with consistent thickness compared to the anhydrous solution deposition. In the former case, 33% of the total nitrogen accounted for protonated amine and 16% for the free amino groups. In the latter, only 6% accounted for the protonated amine. The point of zero charge (pzc), on the aminosilane modified PC was found to be around 7, indicated that the surface is positively charged below pH 7 and negatively charged above pH 7. The surface analysis data suggested that various interactions are possible between the plasma activated thermoplastic surface and the aminosilane. In general, they are bound to the surface through covalent bond formation between the oxygen functionalities on the thermoplastic surface and the amino or the silanol groups of the aminosilane.

Challenges and Opportunities of Centrifugal Microfluidics for Extreme Point-of-Care Testing

The advantages offered by centrifugal microfluidic systems have encouraged its rapid adaptation in the fields of in vitro diagnostics, clinical chemistry, immunoassays, and nucleic acid tests. Centrifugal microfluidic devices are currently used in both clinical and point-of-care settings. Recent studies have shown that this new diagnostic platform could be potentially used in extreme point-of-care settings like remote villages in the Indian subcontinent and in Africa. Several technological inventions have decentralized diagnostics in developing countries; however, very few microfluidic technologies have been successful in meeting the demand. By identifying the finest difference between the point-of-care testing and extreme point-of-care infrastructure, this review captures the evolving diagnostic needs of developing countries paired with infrastructural challenges with technological hurdles to healthcare delivery in extreme point-of-care settings. In particular, the requirements for making centrifugal diagnostic devices viable in developing countries are discussed based on a detailed analysis of the demands in different clinical settings including the distinctive needs of extreme point-of-care settings.

Fully Automated Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Ultrasensitive Protein Detection from Whole Blood

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a promising method to detect small amount of proteins in biological samples. The devices providing a platform for reduced sample volume and assay time as well as full automation are required for potential use in point-of-care-diagnostics. Recently, we have demonstrated ultrasensitive detection of serum proteins, C-reactive protein (CRP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI), utilizing a lab-on-a-disc composed of TiO2 nanofibrous (NF) mats. It showed a large dynamic range with femto molar (fM) detection sensitivity, from a small volume of whole blood in 30 min. The device consists of several components for blood separation, metering, mixing, and washing that are automated for improved sensitivity from low sample volumes. Here, in the video demonstration, we show the experimental protocols and know-how for the fabrication of NFs as well as the disc, their integration and the operation in the following order: processes for preparing TiO2 NF mat; transfer-printing of TiO2 NF mat onto the disc; surface modification for immune-reactions, disc assembly and operation; on-disc detection and representative results for immunoassay. Use of this device enables multiplexed analysis with minimal consumption of samples and reagents. Given the advantages, the device should find use in a wide variety of applications, and prove beneficial in facilitating the analysis of low abundant proteins.

Liquid Biopsy in Lung Cancer: Clinical Applications of Circulating Biomarkers (CTCs and ctDNA)

Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for the majority of cases. Recent advances in the understanding of the biology of tumors and in highly sensitive detection technologies for molecular analysis offer targeted therapies, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, our understanding of an individual patient’s lung cancer is often limited by tumor accessibility because of the high risk and invasive nature of current tissue biopsy procedures. “Liquid biopsy”, the analysis of circulating biomarkers from peripheral blood, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), offers a new source of cancer-derived materials that may reflect the status of the disease better and thereby contribute to more personalized treatment. In this review, we examined the clinical significance and uniqueness of CTCs and ctDNA from NSCLC patients, isolation and detection methods developed to analyze each type of circulating biomarker, and examples of clinical studies of potential applications for early diagnosis, prognosis, treatment monitoring, and prediction of resistance to therapy. We also discuss challenges that remain to be addressed before such tools are implemented for routine use in clinical settings.