Creating a faster test to detect prostate cancer

A Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) researcher has developed a microfluidics device that significantly reduces the testing time needed to detect prostate-specific antigens (PSA), the biomarker for prostate cancer, through its novel design. 

This microfluidics platform reduces the PSA test results wait time to only 15 minutes, compared to other tests that take an hour or more. Additionally, the device needs only a small blood sample and can be operated by a non-specialized technician. It was developed as a proof-of-concept by chemical engineering professor Dae Kun (Rilla) Hwang, the Canada Research Chair in Microarchitecture for Advanced Polymeric Materials, and his team. He notes the technology could be scaled up to perform up to 60 tests simultaneously – potentially enabling a single person to run a few hundred tests per hour. It can detect PSA levels down to 0.1 nanograms per millilitre – according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the normal range of PSA concentration for men in their 60s is between 1.0 and 1.5 nanograms per millilitre, while an abnormal concentration is considered greater than four.

A 3D fishing net

The device is a thin sheet with small channels that processes liquid samples, such as blood, through a specialized hydrogel membrane. This membrane, made of specialized polymers, is essentially a “3D fishing net” designed to catch specific molecules present in these samples while allowing larger matter, such as blood cells, to flow past – this is a cross-flow configuration. This novel approach allows the blood sample to go directly from the patient’s arm to the testing device with no preparation needed. Professor Hwang explained that other microfluidics platforms require the sample to be pre-filtered before running the test. It is this process that makes testing more efficient and reduces result wait times. 

Professor Hwang hopes to further reduce the 15-minute wait for PSA detection to five minutes as he continues to make design improvements. Additionally, there is the possibility of using the technology to detect other diseases. “You can customize a hydrogel to detect the various biomarkers,” he said. The hydrogel's “net” size and makeup can be altered to catch different types of target proteins and find other kinds of cancer or disease. Once the blood sample has been run through the net, an ultraviolet light is used to view the results and measure the concentration of any target biomarkers. 

Learn more in "A New Rapid Microfluidic Detection Platform Utilizing Hydrogel-Membrane under Cross-Flow," (external link, opens in new window)  published in Advanced Materials Technologies. 

This research is supported by the Canada Research Chair program, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and TMU’s Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science.