Aptamer-based microfluidics for isolation, release and analysis of circulating tumor cells

• Published in: TrAC, Trends in analytical chemistry (Regular ed.) Vol. 117; pp. 69 - 77
• Main Authors: Wu, Lingling, Zhu, Lin, Huang, Mengjiao, Song, Jia, Zhang, Huimin, Song, Yanling, Wang, Wei, Yang, Chaoyong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-08-2019
• Subjects: Aptamer; Circulating tumor cell; Isolation; Microfluidics; Release; Isolation; Aptamer; Circulating tumor cell; Microfluidics; Release
• ISSN: 0165-9936; 1879-3142
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2019.05.003

The analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) holds great significance for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and personalized therapy. However, the rarity, vulnerability and heterogeneity of CTCs bring daunting technical challenges to their isolation, release and analysis. Recent exciting advances in microfluidics have greatly promoted CTC isolation and analysis due to its merits of precise control of fluid behavior, integration, and automation. Especially, aptamer-based microfluidic chip is considered as promising platform, because aptamers as recognition ligands have inherent superiority in CTC isolation and release for their convenient modification and controllable recognition ability. This review focuses on recent progresses in aptamer-based microfluidics for isolation, release and analysis of CTCs. First, existing CTC-related aptamers and their selection methods are briefly introduced. Strategies for conjugating aptamers onto microfluidic chips are also reviewed. Then, aptamer-based microfluidic chips for CTC isolation, release and analysis are summarized. Finally, future research directions and challenges in this field are discussed.
•CTC analysis is important for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and personalized therapy.•Microfluidic chip is emerged as powerful CTC analysis platform.•Aptamers are considered as ideal recognition tools for CTC isolation and release.•Aptamer-based microfluidics for CTC isolation, release, and analysis is summarized.