High-purity isolation and recovery of circulating tumor cells using conducting polymer-deposited microfluidic device.

We have developed a conductive nano-roughened microfluidic device and demonstrated its use as an electrically modulated capture and release system for studying rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The microchannel surfaces were covalently decorated with epithelial cancer-specific anti-EpCAM antibody by electrochemical deposition of biotin-doped polypyrrole (Ppy), followed by the assembly of streptavidin and biotinylated antibody. Our method utilizes the unique topographical features and excellent electrical activity of Ppy for i) surface-induced preferential recognition and release of CTCs, and ii) selective elimination of non-specifically immobilized white blood cells (WBCs), which are capable of high-purity isolation of CTCs. In addition, the direct incorporation of biotin molecules offers good flexibility, because it allows the modification of channel surfaces with diverse antibodies, in addition to anti-EpCAM, for enhanced detection of multiple types of CTCs. By engineering a series of electrical, chemical, and topographical cues, this simple yet efficient device provides a significant advantage to CTC detection technology as compared with other conventional methods.