Newsletter_07-2024_EN

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On-chip flow cytometer using integrated photonics paves the way for high-throughput cell analysis Scalable on-chip detection of human white blood cells Imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, and Sarcura GmbH, an Austrian early-stage technology start-up, present their proof-of-concept on-chip flow cytometer using integrated photonics. Published on 20th May 2024 in Scientific Reports, part of the Nature Publishing Group, this innovation offers a unique platform for the detection and discrimination of human leukocytes and marks a significant stride towards cost-effective, scalable, and highly parallelized cell analysis. Accurate identification of human cells is a key operation in modern medicine, pivotal for understanding disease mechanisms and advancing targeted and personalized treatments. With the advent of cell manufacturing, living cells can now be engineered to function as treatments, notably in groundbreaking therapies like CAR-T immune cell therapy for cancer. The ability to identify these therapeutic cells in complex cell products at high throughput is crucial, and often time sensitive. The method of choice today is flow cytometry, which enables characterization of cell populations based on the physical and chemical characteristics of individual cells as they flow past a laser. However, the current implementation include bulky instrumentation, complex and manual workflows (posing contamination risks), and high operational costs. These challenges hinder widespread availability and adoption of cell therapies in decentralized settings. To address these limitations, imec harnesses its expertise in CMOS technology, photonics, and fluidics to automate, miniaturize and parallelize flow cytometry. In a study published in Scientific Reports imec, together with Sarcura, unveils an on-chip flow cytometer using integrated photonics. Fabricated on imec’s 200mm CMOS pilot line, the opto-fluidic chip features a pioneering material stack facilitating both cell illumination and capturing of scattered light through waveguide optics, and precise cell delivery to the detection points using microfluidic channels. “Silicon photonics, as successfully demonstrated in this novel photonic chip, is the revolutionary and essential building block that merges single-cell detection capabilities with massive parallelization on a dramatically miniaturized footprint. This breakthrough opens new possibilities for addressing previously unsolved challenges in applications such as cell therapy manu- Figure 2: (Left) Schematic cross-section of the chip layer stack, indicating light coupling into the chip, cell illumination, and collection and detection of cell scattering signals. (Right) Experimental scatter plot of a full peripheral blood mononuclear sample measured with the on-chip flow cytometer. Figure 1: Picture of the on-chip flow cytometer. facturing,“ states Daniela Buchmayr, CEO and Co-founder of Sarcura. Niels Verellen, Scientific Director at imec, remarked, “We have demonstrated, for the first time, that a monolithically integrated biophotonic chip can be used to collect optical scattering signals that allow the discrimination of lymphocytes and monocytes from a patient’s blood sample, rivaling the performance of commercial cytometers. The main advantage lies in the potential for dense parallelization of multiple flow channels to boost the system throughput.” In a next phase, the compact, alignment-free design should enable billions of cells to be identified within a limited amount of time. Crucially, the chip architecture seamlessly integrates with imec’s previously developed bubble jet cell sorting module, compatible with wafer-scale fabrication. Furthermore, the photonic components and layout can be tailored to suit specific applications. This proof-of-concept therefore marks a substantial leap towards cost-effective, scalable, and highly parallelized cell sorting platforms. IMEC Belgium BL 3001 Leuven www.reinraum.de | www.cleanroom-online.com NEWSLETTER | Edition EN 07-2024 page 20/28
Viola Schäfer, Pfeiffer Vacuum Market Manager R&D (right) welcomes Professor Aulenbacher (left) and Dr. Keckert (center) to the Pfeiffer Vacuum booth at the DPG conference. Pfeiffer Vacuum Supports Young Scientist Award for Accelerator Physics Conferred by the German Physical Society – New materials for superconducting high-frequency systems – Vacuum indispensable for basic scientific research – DPG Working Group on Accelerator Physics confers award in cooperation with renowned institutions and corporations Dr. Sebastian Keckert is awarded this year’s Young Scientist Award for Accelerator Physics by the German Physical Society (DPG). The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros and honors his outstanding research results in the field of new materials for superconducting high-frequency systems. Pfeiffer Vacuum is a sponsor of this award which is conferred annually by the DPG Working Group on Accelerator Physics in cooperation with renowned institutions and corporations. The institutions German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research and Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB) as well as the companies Pfeiffer Vacuum and RI Research Instruments jointly honor young scientists. The goal is to recognize the work of young researchers in the field of accelerator physics at an early stage of their research at a university or scientific institution. Keckert has achieved a decisive further development involving the principle of the quadrupole resonator for testing superconducting materials. The improvements he has made are now used by several laboratories worldwide. They provide the foundation for precise and comprehensive characterization of the high-frequency properties of new superconducting material systems. Among his successes is the first precise characterization of a multilayer superconductor with the potential to outperform the conventionally used material niobium in its attainable field strength as well as its power loss. Mobilizing these potentials is of considerable importance for designing future accelerator systems, particularly when sustainability aspects are considered. “The next big step for superconducting particle accelerators is cavities which use superconducting thin-film layers”, explains Keckert. “This would allow cavities to be operated at 4 Kelvin instead of 2 Kelvin. Significant savings in the energy used for cooling purposes could be achieved as a result. In addition, the use of simpler cooling systems opens up entirely new applications for superconducting particle accelerators.” Andreas Schopphoff, Head of Market Segment R&D at Pfeiffer Vacuum, outlines the importance of vacuum technology for cutting-edge research: “We are pleased that our products are used in accelerator systems to obtain new research results and to make these systems more sustainable. Advanced vacuum solutions not only enable precise experiments, but also an efficient use of resources and a reduction in the energy consumption of these systems. Superconducting cavities can accelerate particles to high energies very efficiently.” The DPG Working Group on Accelerator Physics (AKBP) is an association of experts from the field of accelerator physics in Germany. It works to advance and develop accelerator physics and organizes regular events as well as conferences to promote an exchange between scientists, industry and politics. Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH D 35614 Asslar www.reinraum.de | www.cleanroom-online.com NEWSLETTER | Edition EN 07-2024 page 21/28
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