New MIT Device Collects Living Cells to Improve Early Ovarian Cancer Detection

Researchers at MIT and Johns Hopkins University have developed a 3D-printed microfluidic device that collects living cells from fallopian tube tissue, that could improve early detection of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. The handheld device uses controlled liquid flow to gently detach cells from specific tissue regions, keeping them viable for laboratory culture and personalized disease modeling.

Microfluidic Technology for Ovarian Cancer Detection

High-grade serous ovarian cancer, the most common form of the disease, often originates in the fallopian tubes. Because precursor lesions are frequently microscopic, detecting them early remains a clinical challenge. Current diagnostic methods involve chemical preservatives that fix tissue structure but kill the cells, making them impossible to study in a living state.

The device operates by forming a vacuum seal against a piece of excised tissue. A microfluidic channel then directs liquid flow across the surface, applying precise shear stress to detach cells without damaging them. This process allows researchers to isolate cells from specific, potentially precancerous areas of interest that might otherwise be missed.

Clinical Collaboration at Johns Hopkins

The project emerged from a collaboration between engineers at MIT and oncologists at Johns Hopkins University, funded by the foundation Break Through Cancer. Surgeons at Johns Hopkins provided the clinical perspective, identifying that cells in certain fallopian tube locations were loose enough to be collected through gentle washing.

By enabling the collection of living cells, the technology allows researchers to grow organoids—miniature, simplified versions of organs—and build living models of disease. This capability provides a platform to test how a specific patient’s cells react to various treatments, moving toward more personalized medicine.

Research Team Tests Microfluidic Device on Human Samples

In the study, the research team demonstrated that cells collected via the microfluidic device remained viable and grew in culture more readily than those harvested using conventional surgical methods. The team performed these tests on fresh human fallopian tube samples, a process that required the researchers to be on call to receive tissue shipments from Johns Hopkins collaborators at any hour.

The research team, which includes co-first authors Domitille Avalle, Bert Vandereydt, and Sean Parks, plans to refine the system for broader clinical application. The current effort is part of a larger, interdisciplinary initiative to tackle the early detection of ovarian cancer, a disease where the five-year survival rate exceeds 90 percent when caught at an early stage, compared to less than half that in later stages.

MIT Device Collects Living Cells for Ovarian Cancer Detection

Why is it difficult to detect ovarian cancer early?
Many cases of high-grade serous ovarian cancer begin as microscopic lesions in the fallopian tubes. These early-stage signals are often too small to be identified during standard pathological examinations of tissue sections.

How does this device differ from traditional biopsies?
Traditional pathology involves placing tissue in chemical preservatives, which kills the cells and prevents them from being grown in a laboratory. The new MIT-developed device uses liquid shear stress to collect living cells, allowing them to be cultured, studied, or used for personalized drug testing.

What is the next step for this technology?
The researchers are continuing to develop the technology to improve early detection capabilities. The current study, published in Device, serves as a proof-of-concept for targeted sampling of excised tissue to recover living cells for further clinical investigation.