(696b) Biodegradable Nano-Film Coated Self-Floating Hollow Glass Microspheres for Rapid Cell Isolation and Recovery

The ability to accurately and efficiently isolate specific cell populations from heterogeneous mixtures has enabled researchers to advance the fields of experimental cell biology and translational medicine. Established cell isolation and purification techniques such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting, microfluidic devices and immunomagnetic micro/nano-particles are either expensive and non-portable, involving sophisticated microfabrication and excessive lab equipment or having negative impact on cell viability and function, which limit their practical usage in resource-limited settings. We present a simple yet effective method for cell isolation and recovery that requires neither specialized lab equipment nor any form of power source. Specifically, self-floating hollow glass microspheres were coated with an enzymatically degradable Nano-film, and conjugated with antibodies to allow both fast capture and release of subpopulations of cells from a cell mixture. Targeted cells were captured by the microspheres and allowed to float to the top of the hosting liquid thereby isolating targeted cells. An antifouling polymer brush layer was grafted onto the Nano-film to minimize non-specific cell adhesion. Using the EpCAM expressing cancer cell line, PC-3, in blood as a model system, we have demonstrated the isolation and recovery of cancer cells without compromising cell viability or proliferative potential. The whole process takes less than one hour. To support the rational extension of this platform technology we introduce extensive characterization of the film fabrication and application. Our approach is expected to overcome practical hurdles and provide viable targeted cells for downstream analyses in resource-limited settings.