Lithography-free etching of complex surface features is achieved by harnessing the enzyme proteinase K (PK), controlled by bovine serum albumin (BSA), to digest a biodegradable polymer. This bio-sculpting process is used to construct a membraneless filtration device for the size-based isolation and enrichment of cells from whole blood. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.