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Microfluidic transport in microdevices for rare cell capture
Author(s) -
Smith James P.,
Barbati Alexander C.,
Santana Steven M.,
Gleghorn Jason P.,
Kirby Brian J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.201200263
Subject(s) - microscale chemistry , microfluidics , nanotechnology , context (archaeology) , adhesion , cell adhesion , materials science , chemistry , biology , paleontology , mathematics education , mathematics , composite material
The isolation and capture of rare cells is a problem uniquely suited to microfluidic devices, in which geometries on the cellular length scale can be engineered and a wide range of chemical functionalizations can be implemented. The performance of such devices is primarily affected by the chemical interaction between the cell and the capture surface and the mechanics of cell‐surface collision and adhesion. As rare cell‐capture technology has been summarized elsewhere (E. D. Pratt et al., Chem. Eng. Sci . 2011, 66 , 1508–1522), this article focuses on the fundamental adhesion and transport mechanisms in rare cell‐capture microdevices, and explores modern device design strategies in a transport context. The biorheology and engineering parameters of cell adhesion are defined; adhesion models and reaction kinetics briefly reviewed. Transport at the microscale, including diffusion and steric interactions that result in cell motion across streamlines, is discussed. The review concludes by discussing design strategies with a focus on leveraging the underlying transport phenomena to maximize device performance.