Abstract
In recent years, significant progress has been made into the label-free detection and discrimination of individual cancer cells using Laser Tweezers Raman Spectroscopy (LTRS). However, the majority of examples reported have involved manual trapping of cells, which is time consuming and may lead to different cell lines being analysed in discrete batches. A simple, low-cost microfluidic flow chamber is introduced which allows single cells to be optically trapped and analysed in an automated fashion, greatly reducing the level of operator input required. Two implementations of the flow chamber are discussed here; a basic single-channel device in which the fluid velocity is controlled manually, and a dual-channel device which permits the automated capture and analysis of multiple cell lines with no operator input. Results are presented for the discrimination of live epithelial prostate cells and lymphocytes, together with a consideration of the consequences of traditional 'batch analysis' typically used for LTRS of live cells.
Highlights
One in two people born after 1960 in the United Kingdom will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime
Laser Tweezers Raman Spectroscopy (LTRS) has been shown to be a viable method of distinguishing between a number of epithelial prostate cell lines and primary bladder cells, including cells exposed to synthetic urine, which confirms the potential for a method of urine cytology based on vibrational spectroscopy.[1,2]
Circulating Tumour Cells (CTCs) are cells which are shed into the blood system from a primary tumour
Summary
One in two people born after 1960 in the United Kingdom will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. Laser Tweezers Raman Spectroscopy (LTRS) has been shown to be a powerful tool for the label-free analysis of individual cancer cells. In addition to the requirement for an individual to be present, manual trapping of cells in static dishes naturally leads to different cell lines being analysed in discrete batches, possibly under different conditions. This is a particular issue for live cell analysis as removing cells from culture medium will instigate a number of biochemical events. In this paper we describe the development of an automated system for which no operator input is required, which allows two different cell lines to be captured at shorter intervals, minimizing the impact of batch analysis of live cells
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