Static Droplet Microfluidic

2023: Product Announcement

In late February 2023, researchers at the University of Technology in Sydney unveiled the Static Droplet Microfluidic device to detect tumours with a blood test.

Despite breakthrough blood test studies for many cancer types for February 2023, the field of test development for the early detection of several cancers (MCED), screening generally still involves invasive cell biopsies.

Scientists at the University of Technology in Sydney hope to turn this around by developing their biotech device, the Static Droplet Microfluidic (SDM). It can quickly detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that have separated from the cancer source and entered the bloodstream. This paves the way for very early detection, monitoring and treatment.

Static Droplet Microfluidic device for detecting tumors with a blood test

SDM can recognize tumor cells from a unique metabolic trait comprising the spent lactate product. Once the SDM has sounded the alarm about the problem cells, they can undergo further genetic and molecular analysis to determine the source and prescribe treatment. The development team is so confident in SDM that it has applied for a preliminary patent and is planning a commercial release of the device.

One tumor cell can exist among billions of blood cells in just one milliliter of blood, making it very difficult to detect. Our device monitors individual cells for lactate augmentation with pH-sensitive fluorescent dyes that detect acidification around cells, chief developer Majid Varkian reported.

CTCs are precursors to metastases in which cancer migrates to other organs and causes 90% of the approximately 600,000 deaths from the disease in the United States annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of February 203. The ability of the Static Droplet Microfluidic device to detect very small amounts of CTC can lead to life-saving intervention in humans. The device is also designed for use by medical staff, meaning low-cost integration into clinics and a much less engaged, invasive and risky experience for the patient.^[1]

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