Portable Lab-on-a-chip Flow Cytometer: Prototype and Application Development

便携式芯片实验室流式细胞仪：原型和应用开发

• 批准号: 8005054
• 负责人: Jose Manuel Morachis
• 金额: $ 16.62万
• 依托单位: NANOCELLECT BIOMEDICAL, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2011-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8005054
• 关键词: Achievement; Acoustics; Adsorption; Algorithms; Architecture; Biochemical; Biological Assay; Biomedical Research; Businesses; Cell Separation; Cells; Clinic; Clinical; Clinical Research; Code; Collaborations; Color; Communities; Computer software; Core Facility; Detection; Developing Countries; Development; Devices; Diagnosis; Disease Outbreaks; Electronics; Epigenetic Process; Feedback; Flow Cytometry; Genomics; Growth; HIV; Immunology; Industry; Institutes; Laboratories; Legal patent; Light; Liquid substance; Location; Maintenance; Malignant Neoplasms; Manufacturer Name; Marketing; Measurement; Mechanics; Microfluidics; Mission; Molecular; Monitor; Noise; Optics; Pathology; Performance; Phase; Polymethyl Methacrylate; Process; Production; Property; Protocols documentation; Reagent; Research; Research Personnel; Research Project Grants; Resources; Running; Sampling; Signal Transduction; Site; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Sorting - Cell Movement; Speed; Sterility; Stream; System; Techniques; Technology; Testing; Time; Work; anticancer research; base; biological research; cancer stem cell; combat; commercialization; computerized data processing; cost; design; detector; disease diagnosis; fluorescence activated cell sorter device; improved; innovation; instrument; instrumentation; leukemia; manufacturing process; meetings; micro-total analysis system; new technology; operation; particle; photonics; point of care; polydimethylsiloxane; pressure; professor; prototype; public health relevance; rural area; skills; stem cell biology; tool; tumor

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Flow cytometry is a bioanalysis technique that enables counting and sorting of cells and particles based on their physical and biochemical properties. Flow cytometer instruments are widely used in diverse research and clinical settings, for example the diagnosis and/or study of leukemia, HIV, and stem cell biology. Due to the technology employed, current flow cytometers are immobile, bulky, and very expensive to purchase ($50k-$600k) and operate, meaning that these instruments are typically found only in centralized core facilities. Access to such facilities is limited or unavailable to researchers and clinicians in small labs, at the point-of-care, or in remote locations such as rural areas or far-forward combat zones. This proposed project combines cutting edge lab-on-a-chip technology (microfluidics, optics, microacoustics) with expertise in research applications in cancer and other fields to develop a breakthrough flow cytometer that is 1/100 the size and cost of conventional instruments while meeting or surpassing their performance standards. The NanoSort device employs inexpensive, mass-manufacturable chips that can be discarded after a single use, a valuable feature in circumstances requiring sterile conditions or involving biohazardous samples. The project objectives entail three specific aims, namely (1) demonstration of current alpha prototype utility in cancer research application; (2) development of beta prototype chip using new materials with improved mechanical features (such as cell flow rate) and mass-manufacturability; and (3) significantly increased cell detection and sorting rates via improvements to existing proprietary signal processing algorithms. This new technology will bring flow cytometry to small labs, point-of-care clinics, remote locations, and additional markets not served by conventional instrumentation that is bulky, immobile, and prohibitively expensive, thereby accelerating the pace of scientific discovery in diverse fields including cancer research, stem cell biology, genomics, and more. Further, the development of this affordable, portable, easy-to-maintain, and high performance flow cytometry system will fulfill humanitarian missions (for example, disease diagnosis and monitoring in developing countries). This work serves the public by offering a sophisticated and broadly applicable technology resource to new users in diverse clinical and research contexts, and creates business growth opportunities by opening new markets for reagent manufacturers and assay developers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed project aims to build a prototype cytometer that integrates various patented technologies (integrated photonic, acoustic, and microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technology and software). This prototype will be mass-manufacturable and will have capabilities for cell detection and sorting at rates comparable to leading industry machines that are large (non-portable and centralized) and prohibitively expensive to most researchers and clinicians. This new fully developed cytometer will serve demands for decentralized, inexpensive tools for cutting edge research applications in diverse fields including cancer, stem cell biology, immunology, pathology, and epigenetics.

描述（由申请人提供）：流式细胞术是一种生物分析技术，能够根据细胞和颗粒的物理和生化特性对其进行计数和分选。流式细胞仪仪器广泛用于各种研究和临床环境，例如白血病、HIV和干细胞生物学的诊断和/或研究。由于所采用的技术，目前的流式细胞仪是固定的，笨重的，并且购买和操作非常昂贵（50 k-600 k美元），这意味着这些仪器通常仅在集中的核心设施中找到。在小型实验室、护理点或偏远地区（如农村地区或偏远战区），研究人员和临床医生使用此类设施的机会有限或无法使用。该拟议项目将尖端的芯片实验室技术（微流控、光学、微声学）与癌症和其他领域研究应用的专业知识相结合，开发出一种突破性的流式细胞仪，其尺寸和成本是传统仪器的1/100，同时达到或超过其性能标准。NanoSort设备采用廉价的、可大规模制造的芯片，可以在单次使用后丢弃，这在需要无菌条件或涉及生物危害性样品的情况下是一个有价值的功能。该项目的目标包括三个具体目标，即（1）展示目前的α原型在癌症研究中的应用;（2）使用具有改进的机械特性（如细胞流速）和可大规模制造性的新材料开发β原型芯片;以及（3）通过改进现有的专有信号处理算法，显着提高细胞检测和分选率。这项新技术将把流式细胞术带到小型实验室、护理点诊所、偏远地区以及传统仪器无法服务的其他市场，这些仪器体积庞大、固定且价格昂贵，从而加快了癌症研究、干细胞生物学、基因组学等不同领域的科学发现步伐。此外，这种价格合理、便携、易于维护和高性能的流式细胞仪系统的开发将完成人道主义任务（例如，发展中国家的疾病诊断和监测）。这项工作通过为不同临床和研究背景下的新用户提供复杂且广泛适用的技术资源来服务于公众，并通过为试剂制造商和检测开发商开辟新市场来创造业务增长机会。 公共卫生关系：该项目旨在建立一个集成各种专利技术（集成光子，声学和微流体芯片实验室技术和软件）的原型细胞仪。该原型将是可大规模制造的，并且将具有与大型（非便携式和集中式）并且对大多数研究人员和临床医生来说过于昂贵的领先工业机器相当的细胞检测和分选能力。这种新的完全开发的细胞仪将满足分散的，廉价的工具，在不同领域的尖端研究应用的需求，包括癌症，干细胞生物学，免疫学，病理学和表观遗传学。