Lightsheet-based flow cytometer for whole blood with the ability for the magnetic retrieval of objects from the blood flow

Detection and extraction of circulating tumor cells and other rare objects in the bloodstream are of great interest for modern diagnostics, but devices that can solve this problem for the whole blood volume of laboratory animals are still rare. Here we have developed SPIM-based lightsheet flow cytometer for the detection of fluorescently-labeled objects in whole blood. The bypass channel between two blood vessels connected with the external flow cell was used to visualize, detect, and magnetically separate fluorescently-labeled objects without hydrodynamic focusing. Carriers for targeted drug delivery were used as model objects to test the device performance. They were injected into the bloodstream of the rat, detected fluorescently, and then captured from the bloodstream by a magnetic separator prior to filtration in organs. Carriers extracted from the whole blood were studied by a number of in vitro methods. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

Circulating tumor cells and other rare objects in the bloodstream are important for diagnostics, and a SPIM-based lightsheet flow cytometer was developed to detect and extract fluorescently-labeled objects in whole blood. The device utilizes a bypass channel and external flow cell for visualization, detection, and magnetic separation without hydrodynamic focusing.