本项目提出基于惯性及介电泳技术研究一种循环肿瘤细胞（circulating tumor cells, CTCs）多级分选微流控芯片，为重大疾病早期现场即时检测奠定基础。具体而言：①研制一套集成惯性螺旋形微流道及斜插齿形介电泳电极的多级分选微流控芯片测试样机，系统研究芯片中细胞粒子迁移运动特性，实现循环肿瘤细胞从血液细胞中的高通量、高纯度分选。②研究多级分选微流控芯片中的细胞流特性，建立基于格子玻尔兹曼方法和布朗动力学方法的数值模型，开发流体、电场模型与细胞粒子模型的耦合算法，开发能够模拟流动过程中细胞分布规律和迁移特性的仿真工具，计算分析细胞在流场、电场共同作用下的运动机理，从而为芯片结构的优化设计提供理论指导。③建立基于无掩模光刻的多级分选微流控芯片低成本制作工艺。④构建一套适合多级分选微流控芯片的低成本实验和表征平台，并整合显微观测技术、荧光技术和图像处理技术实现芯片的特性评估。

In this program, a multistage microfluidic chip for circulating tumor cells separation based on inertia and dielectrophoresis technology is proposed, laying a basis for early point-of-care testing of serious diseases. The main content consists of four parts. Firstly, a prototype of multistage microfluidic chip integrating inertial spiral microchannels and oblique interdigitated DEP electrodes will be developed to realize the high throughput and high purity separation of CTCs from blood cells. Secondly, study the motion property of cells in the multistage separation chip, establish the numerical model based on Lattice Boltzmann Method and Brownian Dynamics Method, develop the coupling algorithm of fluid, electric filed model and cell particles model, develop a simulation tool to simulate the distribution regularities and transfer characteristic of cell, calculate and analysis the mechanisms of cell movement under the influence of both flow field and electric field, thus to provide theoretical guidance for optimizing the structure of multistage separation microfluidic chip. Thirdly, develop a low cost process for fabricating the multistage separation microfluidic chip based on maskless lithography. Fourthly, a low cost experimental and observation platform integrated with microscopic observation, fluorescence, and image processing techniques will be set up to characterize the performance of the multistage separation microfluidic chip.