Microfluidic chips with microscale traps for cancer cells study by confocal laser scanning microscopy

Microfluidic devices are widely used in analyzing liquid samples in chemistry, biology, pharmacology and medicine. Fabrication of microfluidic chips with integrated microscale structures (pillars, pores, etc.) allows achieving unique characteristics of analytical devices [1]. Combining these chips with the instruments and methods of high-resolution microscopy enables to get a new analytical system for studies of biological objects [2].
In the present work, a microfluidic chip with integrated microscale hydrodynamic traps was designed and fabricated. There are 9 traps for fixation of cancer cells (line K562) in native state to study by confocal laser scanning microscopy in the chip’s chamber with a size of 400x420 microns. Every trap looks like a semicylinder shell with two 5 micron gaps for decreasing hydraulic pressure. Chips with traps were fabricated from SU-8 by UV-lithography. Chips sealing was made with the help of PDMS films. Sealed chips were tested on samples that contain cancer cells. The results obtained showed effective trapping of cancer cells for their study by confocal laser scanning microscopy in real time mode.
This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation (project: 14.132.21.1777).