Biology subjects

Yaman, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Yaman, S..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

3D-Printed Magnetic Levitation Device with Deep Learning-Assisted Particle Tracking and Analysis for High-Throughput Sorting

Intrinsic density-based particle separation is fundamental to biomedical research and materials science. Magnetic levitation offers an accessible and label-free approach; however, current platforms are limited by throughput, complex fabrication requirements, and manual analysis methods. Here, we demonstrate a high-throughput magnetic levitation-based microfluidic device fabricated using commercial 3D printing, integrated with dual automated analysis systems. The device features optimized magnet configurations and wide channel design (1 mm x 1 mm) that enables gentle separation (<1 PSI) at throughputs of 66 mL/hr-- a ten-fold improvement over existing levitation platforms. We developed two complementary analysis tools: "Phase" for static levitation height measurements, and a deep learning pipeline combining CNN-based particle classification (>95% accuracy) with SORT (Simple Online and Realtime Tracking) algorithm for dynamic analysis. The automated system showed excellent correlation with manual counting (Pearson coefficients: 0.91-0.99, p<0.001). Through systematic optimization of magnet spacing and paramagnetic medium concentration (150 mM Gd), the platform achieved robust continuous-flow sorting while maintaining exceptional purity (>90%) and resolving density differences as small as 0.03 g/mL. This work establishes a versatile platform for particle sorting, enabling sophisticated analysis without specialized facilities or extensive operator training, with broad applications in biomedical research and diagnostics.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2022

Magnetic Levitation and Sorting of Neoplastic Circulating Cell Hybrids

Circulating hybrid cells (CHCs) are a novel, rare cell population that harbor tumor and immune cell phenotypes and genotypes and are detectible in peripheral blood. Several recent reports implicated CHCs in the metastatic cascade and found their enumeration to provide better prognostic value than conventionally-defined circulating tumor cells (CTCs). However, methods for isolation and enrichment of CHCs are not well-studied or established. Here, we developed an ultrasensitive, antigen-independent platform leveraging the principles of magnetic levitation for the detection and isolation of disseminated neoplastic CHCs. For the first time, we demonstrate that CHCs can be magnetically focused to different levitation heights, under various paramagnetic conditions using a static levitation system, and we quantified the biophysical properties of CHCs (i.e., levitation heights). In addition, we investigated whether magnetic levitation approach can be combined with the affinity-based strategies to enrich CHCs under the magnetic field. Using clinical samples from breast and colorectal cancer patients, we demonstrated that neoplastic cells can be sorted with a magnetic levitation-based sorting device, without relying on any surface markers. Overall, we demonstrated the feasibility of the magnetic levitation method for unbiased enrichment of rare neoplastic-immune hybrid cells from peripheral blood specimens from cancer patients. This approach can be expanded to more clinical samples and cancer types to unprecedentedly explore the biology of rare neoplastic cells and develop metastasis-tailored therapies broadly impacting personalized and precision clinical treatments.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2020

HologLev: Hybrid Magnetic Levitation Platform Integrated with Lensless Holographic Microscopy for Density-Based Cell Analysis

In clinical practice, a variety of diagnostic applications require the identification of target cells. Density has been used as a physical marker to distinguish cell populations since metabolic activities could alter the cell densities. Magnetic levitation offers a great promise for separating cells at single cell level within heterogeneous populations with respect to cell densities. Traditional magnetic levitation platforms need bulky and precise optical microscopes to visualize levitated cells. Moreover, the evaluation process of cell densities is cumbersome, which also requires trained personnel for operation. In this work, we introduce a device (HologLev) as a fusion of magnetic levitation principle and lensless digital inline holographic microscopy (LDIHM). LDIHM provides ease of use by getting rid of bulky and expensive optics. By placing an imaging sensor just beneath the microcapillary channel without any lenses, recorded holograms are processed for determining cell densities through a fully automated digital image processing scheme. The device costs less than $100 and has a compact design that can fit into a pocket. We perform viability tests the device by levitating three different cell lines (MDA-MB-231, U937, D1 ORL UVA) and comparing them against their dead correspondents. We also tested the differentiation of mouse osteoblastic (7F2) cells by monitoring characteristic variations in their density. Lastly, MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to a chemotherapy drug are separated from original cell lines in our platform. HologLev provides cost-effective, label-free, fully automated cell analysis in a compact design which could be highly desirable for laboratory and point-of-care testing applications.

bioengineering↗