Microfluidic probe could allow big findings from small samples
IBM and University Hospital Zürich collaborate on bioanalytical test for measuring tumor heterogeneity in biopsy samples.
In a recent press release, IBM (NY, USA) have announced a collaboration with University Hospital Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland) on a microfluidic probe to be used by pathologists in cancer diagnosis. The probe, which is based on IBM’s expertise in silicon computer chips, interacts with tissue samples at a micrometer scale. The researchers envisage that this will allow unprecedented information to be gained from small samples.
The team is specifically working on elucidating the heterogeneity in lung cancer samples. The probe, which is diamond-shaped and 8-mm wide, consists of a silcon microfluidic head with two microchannels in the tip. The instrument injects small volumes of reagents into the biopsy tissue while continuously aspirating the sample – allowing reagents to be delivered in the sample accurately, and thus opening up the possibility of studying heterogeneity in small samples.
Holger Moch, head of the Institute of Surgical Pathology at the University Hospital Zürich, commented on their collaboration with IBM, “We are very excited to partner with IBM on the microfluidic probe technology to develop techniques for its use in the clinical pathology framework – this is a fine example of a translational research that could also help answer some basic science questions.”
Looking to the future, IBM’s plan is to partner with a medical equipment manufacturer to license and market the technology. Alex Soltermann, a pathologist specializing in lung cancer at the Institute for Surgical Pathology of the University Hospital Zürich, commented on the impact the technology will hopefully have, “If we are successful, the tool will be a driver for personalized medicine, and translate into increased confidence in diagnosis and better detection of predictive cancer markers.”
Source: IBM and Swiss hospital test new tool for diagnosing cancer.
