Temperature-tunable micropillars enable programmable sorting of particles and cells

Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo have developed a programmable microfluidic device that can sort particles and cells based on size by using temperature-responsive polymer micropillars. This innovative technology combines deterministic lateral displacement, a technique for separating particles by size, with temperature-sensitive polymer pillars.

The device's design allows researchers to dynamically change separation conditions along a single microfluidic channel. By controlling the temperature across the array, the device can dynamically adjust size thresholds for particle migration. As particles flow through the channel, they encounter varying separation conditions, enabling them to switch between different modes of separation depending on their size.

The device successfully separated multiple particle populations, including polystyrene particles with sizes of 13.0, 9.94, and 5.65 µm, achieving purities of 92.9%, 90.0%, and 97.8%, respectively. Additionally, the researchers demonstrated the device's ability to efficiently isolate viable cancer cells, white blood cells, and red blood cells from diluted whole blood, maintaining 94.8% viability for the cancer cells.

This programmable microfluidic device represents a significant advancement in the field of biomedical research, diagnostics, and cell-based therapeutics. By enabling spatially programmable deterministic lateral displacement, this technology opens up new possibilities for isolating multiple cell and particle fractions from complex biological samples using a single device, without the need for multiple fixed separation thresholds.