• Automated T-Cell Proliferation...

*Result*: Automated T-Cell Proliferation in Lab-on-Chip Devices Integrating Microfluidics and Deep Learning-Based Image Analysis for Long-Term Experiments.

Title:
Automated T-Cell Proliferation in Lab-on-Chip Devices Integrating Microfluidics and Deep Learning-Based Image Analysis for Long-Term Experiments.
Authors:
Cadena Vizuete MF; Mertelsmann Foundation, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.; Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina.; Faculty of Biology, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.; CONICET, Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica (IMPaM), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1121, Argentina., Condor M; LABMaiTE GmbH, 79110 Freiburg, Germany., Raith D; LABMaiTE GmbH, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.; Neurorobotics Lab, Department of Computer Science, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany., Sapre A; Mertelsmann Foundation, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.; LABMaiTE GmbH, 79110 Freiburg, Germany., Follo M; Department of Medicine I, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.; Lighthouse Core Facility, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany., Layedra G; IREN Center, National Technological University, Buenos Aires 1706, Argentina., Mertelsmann R; Mertelsmann Foundation, 79104 Freiburg, Germany., Perez M; IREN Center, National Technological University, Buenos Aires 1706, Argentina.; Collaborative Research Institute Intelligent Oncology (CRIION), 79110 Freiburg, Germany.; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA., Lerner B; IREN Center, National Technological University, Buenos Aires 1706, Argentina.; Collaborative Research Institute Intelligent Oncology (CRIION), 79110 Freiburg, Germany.; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA.
Source:
Biosensors [Biosensors (Basel)] 2025 Oct 13; Vol. 15 (10). Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Oct 13.
Publication Type:
Journal Article
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: MDPI Pub Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101609191 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2079-6374 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20796374 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Biosensors (Basel) Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : MDPI Pub.
MeSH Terms:
T-Lymphocytes*/cytology , Deep Learning* , Lab-On-A-Chip Devices* , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted* , Microfluidics*, Humans ; Cell Proliferation ; Jurkat Cells
References:
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Grant Information:
01IS21098A Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt; PICT 2021-00058, PICT 2021 GRF-00464, PICT 2021-00167, PICT 2020 SERIEA-01571, PICT STARTUP 2020-0017, PICT 2021-00124 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Contributed Indexing:
Keywords: Lab-on-chip (LOC) devices; T-cells; deep learning; image analysis; microfluidics
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20251028 Date Completed: 20251028 Latest Revision: 20251030
Update Code:
20260130
PubMed Central ID:
PMC12563272
DOI:
10.3390/bios15100693
PMID:
41149345
Database:
MEDLINE

*Further Information*

*T cells play a pivotal role in cancer research, particularly in immunotherapy, which harnesses the immune system to target malignancies. However, conventional expansion methods face limitations such as high reagent consumption, contamination risks, and difficulties in maintaining suspension cells in dynamic culture environments. This study presents a microfluidic system for long-term culture of non-adherent cells, featuring automated perfusion and image acquisition. The system integrates deep learning-based image analysis, which quantifies cell coverage and estimates cell numbers, and efficiently processes large volumes of data. The performance of this deep learning approach was benchmarked against the widely used Trainable Weka Segmentation (TWS) plugin for Fiji. Additionally, two distinct lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices were evaluated independently: the commercial ibidi<sup>®</sup> LOC and a custom-made PDMS LOC. The setup supported the proliferation of Jurkat cells and primary human T cells without significant loss during medium exchange. Each platform proved suitable for long-term expansion while offering distinct advantages in terms of design, cell seeding and recovery, and reusability. This integrated approach enables extended experiments with minimal manual intervention, stable perfusion, and supports multi-reagent administration, offering a powerful platform for advancing suspension cell research in immunotherapy.*