Advancements in micro/nanofabrication technologies, along with newer polymer-based materials, have given rise to microfluidic systems that can detect CTCs. Recent reports indicate that by utilizing antibodies as capture molecules, CTCs can be trapped within the microfluidic systems. But then again, incorporating antibodies into specific areas within micro-sized devices requires complex chemical reactions and ultimately increases the costs of producing CTC-sensing microdevices on a large scale.

To enable the efficient capture of CTCs from blood via a cost-effective sensing platform, a team of scientists led by Professor Masumi Yamada from the Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, Japan, has developed novel microfluidic devices that incorporate microcones, comparable in size to biological cells. The team comprised Mr. Yuhei Saito from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Chiba University, and Dr. Shuhei Aoyama from Denka Innovation Center, Denka Co., Ltd., Japan. Their research findings were published in the journal Lab on a Chip on May 28, 2025.