M-Duo Technology®. The heart of our company
Tissue interstitial fluid (TSF) is a biomarker-rich liquid biopsy of high relevance for fundamental and clinical research as it contains all the soluble molecules of the tissue micro-environment. Yet, TSF is understudied mostly due to the difficulty to extract it. IMcoMET has developed a unique dual microneedle-based method (the M-Duo Technology®) that allows for the sampling of TSF in a localized, rapid, and easy way.
The M-Duo Technology® uses small needles working in pair: One needle injects a carrier fluid, while the other aspirates it. The M-Duo needles are integrated in a microfluidic loop driven by a micro-peristaltic pump. The aspirated fluid is a mixture of the carrier fluid, interstitial fluid, and all soluble signals present in the locality of the needles. Once the system is
started, it can either be stopped after a short user-defined time, to collect a single timepoint sample, or it can be run continuously for in-line measurement with any sensor of choice integrated in the fluidic loop.
The types of molecules than can be detected in the samples obtained using our technology spans a wide range of relevant biomarkers such as proteins, small molecules metabolites, exosomes, DNA and (micro) RNAs.
IMcoMET has integrated the M-Duo Technology® in different devices for several applications: in vitro (3D cell culture, and organ-on-chip), ex vivo on biopsies of skin or other tissue types, and in vivo on skin. Our laboratory research device “The Porcupine”, is already on the market for all your pre-clinical research applications. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to know more.
