Dynamic blood flow phantom for in vivo liquid biopsy standardization

Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 13;11(1):1185. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-80487-8.

Abstract

In vivo liquid biopsy, especially using the photoacoustic (PA) method, demonstrated high clinical potential for early diagnosis of deadly diseases such as cancer, infections, and cardiovascular disorders through the detection of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs), bacteria, and clots in the blood background. However, little progress has been made in terms of standardization of these techniques, which is crucial to validate their high sensitivity, accuracy, and reproducibility. In the present study, we addressed this important demand by introducing a dynamic blood vessel phantom with flowing mimic normal and abnormal cells. The light transparent silica microspheres were used as white blood cells and platelets phantoms, while hollow polymeric capsules, filled with hemoglobin and melanin, reproduced red blood cells and melanoma CTCs, respectively. These phantoms were successfully used for calibration of the PA flow cytometry platform with high-speed signal processing. The results suggest that these dynamic cell flow phantoms with appropriate biochemical, optical, thermal, and acoustic properties can be promising for the establishment of standardization tool for calibration of PA, fluorescent, Raman, and other detection methods of in vivo flow cytometry and liquid biopsy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Blood Circulation / physiology*
  • Blood Platelets / metabolism
  • Blood Platelets / pathology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / metabolism
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Early Detection of Cancer / methods
  • Erythrocytes / pathology
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry / methods
  • Humans
  • Liquid Biopsy / methods*
  • Melanins / metabolism
  • Melanoma / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Molecular Imaging / methods
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / metabolism
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / pathology
  • Photoacoustic Techniques / methods*
  • Reference Standards
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Melanins