Microwell-Patterned Microfluidic Device for Rapid Identification of High-Affinity Anti-Tumor T Cells

Abstract

This paper presents a microfluidic device for the rapid identification of high-affinity anti-tumor T cells. This device consists of a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microchannel containing a dense array of circular microwells fabricated using a unique CO2 laser etching process. Using this device, OT-I T cells and LLC-OVA tumor cells were incubated within microwells to identify high-affinity T cells in <1 hour, which is significantly faster than existing T cell screening methods (requiring weeks/months) while being simpler to operate without requiring sophisticated instrumentation. Furthermore, this method is compatible with adherent and nonadherent tumor cells, making it a versatile platform for T cell-tumor cell interaction studies and T cell screening.