Devices and methods for enrichment and alteration of circulating tumor cells and other particles
First Claim
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1. A device for processing a cellular sample, said device comprising a channel comprising an array of obstacles forming a network of gaps, wherein fluid flows through said gaps such that said fluid is divided unequally into a major flux and a minor flux, and wherein said array is configured to direct epithelial cells in a direction not parallel to the average direction of flow in said array.
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Abstract
The invention features devices and methods for detecting, enriching, and analyzing circulating tumor cells and other particles. The invention further features methods of diagnosing a condition, e.g., cancer, in a subject by analyzing a cellular sample from the subject.
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Citations
62 Claims
- 1. A device for processing a cellular sample, said device comprising a channel comprising an array of obstacles forming a network of gaps, wherein fluid flows through said gaps such that said fluid is divided unequally into a major flux and a minor flux, and wherein said array is configured to direct epithelial cells in a direction not parallel to the average direction of flow in said array.
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8. A device for processing a cellular sample, said device comprising:
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a. a channel comprising an array of obstacles forming a network of gaps, wherein fluid flows through said gaps such that said fluid is divided unequally into a major flux and a minor flux so that the average direction of movement of cells larger than a critical size is not parallel to the average direction of fluidic flow;
b. an outlet disposed to collect cells larger than normal blood cells; and
c. a cell detector that counts cells. - View Dependent Claims (49)
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- 50. A device for processing a cellular sample, said device comprising a channel comprising a ceiling positioned over an array of obstacles that form a network of gaps, wherein said device is configured to allow cells having a diameter of less than or equal to a critical size to flow through said network of gaps, and to capture cells having a diameter of greater than said critical size between said ceiling and said obstacles.
- 57. A method of processing cells having a diameter of greater than a critical size in a cellular sample, said method comprising introducing said cellular sample into a device comprising a channel comprising a ceiling positioned over an array of obstacles that form a network of gaps, wherein said device is configured to allow cells having a diameter of less than or equal to said critical size to flow through said network of gaps, and to capture cells having a diameter of greater than said critical size between said ceiling and said obstacles.
Specification