PI: Yaling Liu
Co-PI(s): N/A
University: Lehigh University
Industry partner: iPhase Pharma Service
This project aims to use a wavy-herringbone (wavy-HB) structured microfluidic device to efficiently isolate label-free T lymphocyte (T-cells) directly from human blood samples by using immunoaffinity and magnetic force. Further identification of the isolated cell population will be performed by machine learning algorithms which learn the rules from labeled data to enable accurate and robust classification of cells based on microscopic images. The iPhase Pharma Service is interested in further improving the performance of its immunomagnetic cell isolation product. As most current commercially available systems still require relatively long procedures and lack sample-to-sample quality control, we have collaborated with iPhase Pharma Service to preliminary perform immune cell isolation from healthy donor blood by using our wavy-HB structured microfluidic device and our recently developed label-free machine learning cell classification module, and results are rather positive. iPhase Pharma Service would like to use our microfluidic device and machine learning module on their developed negative selection immune cell isolation system. The wavy-HB structure is demonstrated to have excellent turbulence generation ability in a microfluidic device, which dramatically enhances the possibility of particle/cell collision to device walls. Specific antibody-coated magnetic particles (MPs) can be immobilized in the microfluidic device by a strong magnet, and after flowing samples, the cells can be collected, with the device attached to the magnet. Followed by using our image machine learning-based cell detection module on the cell analysis, downstream sorting of unlabeled cells and other experiments could be facilitated. In this proposed project period, we plan to use the developed microfluidic device to optimize the sensitivity and selectivity on isolation directly from human blood, by using iPhase Pharma Service provided kit, tuning experiment setups, and optimizing wavy-HB structure fabrication methods. The project will also incorporate post-analysis to further classify isolated WBCs, including different subtypes and unsorted cells. Once our microfluidic device is proven to be fast and high efficiency in T-cell isolation directly from patient blood, this cost-effective tool can help iPhase Pharma Service and the whole immunology research and pharmaceutical industry community in a lot of manners, such as fast T-cell classification from the other type of cells, as well as further study of immune cell response to understanding mechanisms of health and disease.