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DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1582479
Mechanical phenotyping of leukemic blast cells using real-time deformability cytometry
Introduction: Hyperleukocytosis is a well-known emergency situation in leukemia. Myeloid and lymphoid blasts may differ by their rigidity. So far treatment recommendations for intervention are based on blast count only.
Aims: Improving diagnosis by using cell mechanics as a label-free cell functional marker.
Methods: Real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC; Otto, Nat Methods 2015) allows label-free characterization of blood cells through their mechanical fingerprint. Cells are flowed through a microfluidic constriction deformed by hydrodynamic shear stress imaged and analyzed in real-time for size and deformation at a rate of 1,000 cells/s. Non-leukemic cells can be easily identified and separated into platelets, mono-nucleated cells, granulocytes and erythrocytes (Toepfner, in preparation).
Patients: Samples (citrated whole blood and/or bone marrow, vol. 100 µl) from 5 patients newly diagnosed with leukemia were analyzed by RT-DC.
Results: Mechanical phenotyping required five minutes of measurement time. Myeloid blasts differed from lymphoid blasts by their lower deformation. Both can be distinguished from other blood cells.
Conclusion: RT-DC promises a fast automated and reliable approach to quickly identify abnormal cell function by mechanical phenotyping. The findings' possible rheological consequences for leukostasis are subject to future investigation.