Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting | Singapore

Mechanobiology of Disease

Wednesday Speaker Abstracts

Next-Generation Deformability Cytometry for Rapid Biophysical Phenotyping Katherine D. Crawford, Henry T. Tse . CytoVale Inc, South San Francisco, CA, USA. The CytoVale deformability cytometry platform enables rapid, label-free measurements of biophysical changes of single cells. The technology uses microfluidics to deliver cells to a cross junction where the cells are subjected to hydrodynamic deformation forces. In our early proof-of- concept academic studies the technology has shown utility in disease detection of malignant pleural effusions, and characterization of stem cell differentiation 1,2 . To enable real-world applications for biophysical biomarkers, CytoVale has developed a robust instrumentation platform that is focused on ease of use by streamlining sample handling, operation, and data analysis to target operations in challenging environments such as ICUs and triage stations. Our current application efforts are focused on development of a cost-effective diagnostic for detection of early sepsis, allowing aggressive treatment sooner, reducing hospital stay duration, and improving patient outcomes. Early intervention has been shown to be successful in significantly reducing morbidity and mortality from the current rate of 30-50% in addition to realizing health economics savings, yet healthcare providers currently lack a sensitive diagnostic tool that can identify patients early in disease progression with rapid turnaround times. CytoVale is uniquely positioned to improve the sepsis treatment paradigm by offering the first platform to detect the dysregulated host response. Our diagnostic platform will offer rapid, label- free detection of activated white blood cells. The technology has the potential to deliver better patient care while reducing systemic healthcare costs across multiple commercial applications in immunology, oncology, and hematology. 1. Gossett, D. R. et al. Hydrodynamic stretching of single cells for large population mechanical phenotyping. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 109, 7630–7635 (2012). 2. Tse, H. T. K. et al. Quantitative diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions by single-cell mechanophenotyping. Sci. Transl. Med. 5, 212ra163 (2013).

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