It enables early cancer detection, monitoring of treatment response, and identification of minimal residual disease, often with greater convenience and less risk than traditional tissue biopsies.
TellDx™ platform
TellBio
TellBio, Inc. contributes to this field through its proprietary TellDx™ platform, which focuses on the detection and isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Their technology aims to improve the accuracy and sensitivity of cancer detection and monitoring by providing real-time insights into tumor biology and progression from a simple blood sample. TellBio’s vision is to free patients and their families from the tyranny of cancer.
The foundation of the TellBio’s approach – isolation of and targeting CTCs – is exclusively licensed from Massachusetts General Hospital and is based on decades of academic and clinical research.
The TellDx CTC System offers a unique opportunity to detect and monitor cancer progression via a best-in-class microfluidic diagnostic tool.
Challenge(s)
The Customer's Brief
Developing a CTC filter technique using microfluidics poses several challenges. First, circulating tumor cells are extremely rare—often just a few among billions of blood cells—making their isolation highly demanding in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Designing and the manufacturing of microfluidic channels that can effectively separate CTCs based on size, deformability, or surface markers without damaging the cells is technically complex. Additionally, maintaining high throughput while preventing clogging, ensuring reproducibility, and achieving compatibility with downstream analysis (like sequencing or culturing) further complicate development.
OUR SOLUTION
STRATEC has successfully developed the realization of microfluidic structures for the aim of CTC filtering. The following solutions and technologies are used to realize the manufacturing of the microfluidic consumable:
- Mastering of microstructures
The required micro structures are manufactured using our in-house lithography processes, providing high precision and high aspect ratio features to maximize the sample volume throughput.
- Nickel Plating
The lithographic structures are transferred to molding inserts by Nickel plating.
- Injection Molding
The microstructures are replicated by injection molding using COP materials.
- Bonding
Solvent assisted thermal bonding is used to cover the microfluidic structures with a so called “lid” disc containing throughholes in a fully automated way.
- Laser Welding
In order to connect the microfluidic structures with microfluidic inlet and outlets laser welding is used.
- Quality control
Quality control is done already during bonding but also after final assembly, to guarantee best quality products.
- Tubing
Tubing is connected by UV glueing.
ADVANTAGES
The Tellbio device offers several key advantages:
The key advantages of the TellBio platform (TellDx™) are:
High Sensitivity and Specificity: Accurately isolates rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood with minimal contamination.
Label-Free Isolation: Captures CTCs without relying on surface markers, allowing for broader detection across tumor types and subtypes.
Viable Cell Recovery: Maintains the integrity and viability of isolated CTCs, enabling downstream functional assays or cell culture.
Real-Time Cancer Monitoring: Provides dynamic insights into tumor progression and treatment response from a simple blood draw.
Non-Invasive Sampling: Reduces patient risk and discomfort compared to traditional tissue biopsies.
Broad Oncology Applications: Supports early detection, therapy selection, prognostic assessment, and minimal residual disease detection.
These advantages position the TellBio platform as a powerful tool for advancing precision oncology through safer, more dynamic, and comprehensive cancer management.
STRATEC Competences
Involved Services
The development and manufacturing of the Tellbio device involved key teams at STRATEC Consumables as follows:
Molding
Optimal processing of COP leads to high aspect ratio with minimal sidewall angle microfeatures.
