DEFORMABILITY CYTOMETRY: APPLICATIONS IN CLINICAL CANCER DIAGNOSTICS

A mechanical biomarker would be an attractive label-free classifier of cells for clinical diagnostic applications. However, the adoption of this biomarker has been slow due to the limited statistical confidence and power provided by low throughput techniques. Here, we demonstrate a high-throughput (2,000 cells/second) tool employing a unique combination of inertial focusing, hydrodynamic forces, and automated image analysis. Further, we demonstrate the potential of the mechanical biomarker in a clinical cancer diagnostic role in analyzing pleural effusions and in a correlative study investigating the aggressiveness of patient-derived melanoma cell lines in relation to deformability.