Microfluidic recapitulation of circulating tumor cell–neutrophil clusters via double spiral channel-induced deterministic encapsulation

Circulating tumor cell (CTC)–neutrophil clusters are highly potent precursors of cancer metastasis. However, their rarity in patients' blood has restricted research thus far, and moreover, studies on in vitro methods for mimicking cell clusters have generally neglected in vivo conditions. Here, we introduce an inertial-force-assisted droplet microfluidic chip that allows the recapitulation of CTC–neutrophil clusters in terms of physical as well as biochemical features. The deterministic encapsulation of cells via double spiral channels facilitates the pairing of neutrophils and cancer cells with ratios of interest (from 1 : 1 to 1 : 3). The encapsulated cells are spontaneously associated to form clusters, achieving the physical emulation of CTC–neutrophil clusters. Furthermore, the molecular signatures of CTC–neutrophil clusters (e.g., their E-cadherin, VCAM-1, and mRNA expressions) were well defined. Our novel microfluidic platform for exploring CTC–neutrophil clusters can therefore play a promising role in cancer-metastasis studies.