This paper presents a novel microfluidic approach for high-throughput, continuous-flow ternary separation of single tumor cells, tumor cell clusters, and white blood cells (WBCs) from malignant effusions. The method uses a spiral-contraction-expansion channel design to leverage inertial lift force, Dean drag force, and vortex-induced lift force for size-based separation. Experiments showed >97% recovery of MDA-MB-231 tumor cells and >90% preservation of tumor cell clusters, with 94% WBC removal at a high flow rate of 3500 µL/min. The device successfully separated cells from clinical samples, showing potential for cytological diagnosis.

Zhixian Zhu, Hui Ren, Dan Wu, Zhonghua Ni, Nan Xiang