Non-Destructive Detection and Separation of Radiation Damaged Cells in Miniaturized, Inexpensive Device

Our objective is to develop and demonstrate a novel microfluidic device for non-destructive identification, sorting and counting of radiation damaged cells. A major thrust, using microarray experiments, is the discovery of unique cell surface markers for identification of radiation-damaged cells. A key innovative feature in the proposed device platform is a gravity-independent, optics-free, electrical cell separation and counting, leading to a very simple, compact and lightweight design suitable for space deployment. The Phase 1 effor, successfully identified a set of receptor genes as potential candidate markers for radiative damage. Ability to sort bead-labelled cells non-destructively and with high efficiency was also demonstrated. In Phase 2, whole genome arrays and DNA damage assays will additionally be used to further identify and verify a robust set of surface markers indicative of DNA damage induced by radiation. The cell sorter microdevice will be further optimized for throughput and efficiency and demonstrated using irradiated cells. A novel concept for simple, electrical counting of cells on chip will be implemented on chip. Finally, verification and demonstration of the developed technology is planned using access to resources available at NSRL. A multi-disciplinary team of microfluidic, tissue engineering and radiation biologists has been assembled for this project.