I-Corps: Rapid, Low Cost Point-of-Care Microfluidic Cancer Screening Device

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种能够早期发现癌症的活检筛查方法。癌细胞在最初被发现之前通常可以生长并形成肿瘤近十年。这个项目的重点是生产一种微创的、具有成本效益的、用于早期癌症筛查的护理点设备。该设备旨在帮助早期发现特定的癌症，从而改善患者的整体预后。如果获得成功，该产品预计将产生重大的经济影响，因为它将减少癌症治疗的医疗保健支出，并改善劳动力的健康状况。这个I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种用于早期筛查和检测癌症的护理点血液活检设备。该技术由两个主要部分组成：(1)一次性微流体平台，(2)电子和硬件外壳。微流控平台从患者身上提取微小的全血样本，并进行针对性的酶联免疫吸附测定。该检测产生化学发光信号，以响应具有上皮细胞粘附分子表达80%的循环肿瘤细胞（即乳腺癌，前列腺癌，膀胱癌或胰腺癌）的存在。一次性微流控平台被装入一个桌面大小的外壳，外壳内装有电子设备和硬件，用于按照预先编程的顺序自动控制血液样本的流体处理（分类、混合、冲洗、传感）。包含在外壳中的光传感器检测由分析产生的化学发光信号。通过减少医疗人员通常所需的时间和技能，可以改善患者的结果，并可显着降低筛查成本。该设备的尺寸、成本和易用性非常适合临床环境中的即时诊断。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a biopsy screening method that enables early detection of cancer. Cancer cells can often grow and form tumors for nearly ten years before they are initially detected. This project focuses on producing a minimally invasive and cost-effective, point of care device for early cancer screening. This device is intended to help detect specific cancers earlier, thereby improving patient outcomes globally. If successful, the product is expected to have major economic impacts as a result of reducing healthcare expenditures for cancer treatment and improving the health of the workforce.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a point of care blood biopsy device for early screening and detection of cancer. The technology consists of two primary components: (1) a disposable microfluidics platform, and (2) an electronics and hardware enclosure. The microfluidic platform fractionates a tiny whole blood sample drawn from the patient and processes a targeted, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The assay produces a chemiluminescent signal in response to the presence of circulating tumor cells that have epithelial cell adhesion molecule expression of 80% (i.e. breast, prostate, bladder, or pancreatic cancer). The disposable microfluidic platform is loaded into a table-top sized enclosure that houses the electronics and hardware used to autonomously control fluid handling (sorting, mixing, flushing, sensing) of the blood sample in a preprogrammed sequence. A photosensor contained in the enclosure detects the chemiluminescent signal produced by the assay. By reducing the time and skill typically required by medical personnel, patient outcomes can be improved and the cost of screening can be significantly reduced The size, cost, and ease of use of the device is well suited for point-of-care diagnostics in a clinical setting.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.