Microfluidic Devices for Liquid Cancer Biopsies
JHU Ref #: [C17525]
Value Proposition
· Optimized dispersion of ctDNA throughout microfluidic device
· Increased rate of capture of ctDNA in dCas9 system
· Microfluidics can be combined with apheresis for screening of large volumes of blood plasma
· Unaltered plasma can be used for ctDNA detection
Unmet Need
Liquid biopsy methods to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood can be used to discover and monitor cancers. A limiting factor of such blood-based liquid biopsies is the volume of extracted blood required to capture a measurable number of ctDNA copies. However, recent methods to capture ctDNA from unaltered, flowing plasma with dCas9 are promising as they can be combined with apheresis and plasma can be returned to a patient’s body. There are not currently any microfluidic devices or flow cells specifically designed to increase the capture rate of ctDNA in unaltered plasma for dCas9-based strategies. Therefore, there is a strong need for such a device to be developed in order to strengthen the ability of dCas9 ctDNA capture methods to be used as cancer diagnostic tools.
Technology Description
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed microfluidic devices that optimize the performance of a dCas9 ctDNA capture system. They have identified the flow rates required to achieve the most desirable ctDNA dispersion rates within the microfluidic devices and thus bolster ctDNA recovery from blood plasma. This valuable technology represents a powerful tool for the use of ctDNA liquid biopsies for cancer diagnostics or monitoring.
Stage of Development
Prototype developed.
Data Availability
Data available upon request.
Publication
N/A
