Researchers at Žilina University partnered with Austrian health authorities have developed a unique device capable of “trapping” cancer cells. The system allows cancerous cells to be singled out and separated from otherwise healthy blood. This device uses a microfluidic chip to capture cancer cells circulating in the blood of a cancer patient, leading to better diagnoses and subsequent treatment of cancer. “It can separate cancer cells from the healthy cells in various types of cancer. All similar existing devices can only filter cells in one type of cancer,” said Ivan Cimrák, Assistant Professor and researcher at the University of Žilina, who participated in the construction of the device.
The University of Žilina is working with the University of Applied Sciences in St. Pölten, the Austrian Institute of Technology, and the Austrian hospital Landesklinikum Krems. “The idea to construct this device was established about two years ago in Austria. The prototype should now go through the approval process and then it will be able to be used in hospitals,” added Cimrák. According to the amount of captured cancer cells and their sizes, the device is able to determine the type and stage of the cancer cells collected. The microfluidic chip is four by four centimetres in size, with a number of small channels the width of a strand of hair to filter blood samples. The diameter of the channels may be controlled, in order to capture the cancer cells of any type of tumour. Then the captured cells can be counted under a microscope allowing proper diagnosis. The university’s small diagnostic device was awarded first prize in the international cooperation category in the 2012 Innovative Act competition.
Gavin Shoebridge
