Microfluidic Chip Screens Leukemia Drug Therapies in Children

Source: The Patent, written by Giovanni Sapere; research by Kendall Williams, Dan Zhang, Wilbur Lam (October 31, 2026). AI-generated summary by biochip.com, published November 1, 2026. Not independently reviewed.

Researchers at Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Georgia Tech have developed GradientScreen, a microfluidic test that measures how leukemia cells from an individual patient respond to combinations of cancer drugs. The device tests different doses of three drugs at once, using cells from a single sample. In a retrospective study of 17 patient samples, its measurements matched historical treatment outcomes, suggesting the approach could help identify patients whose leukemia may resist standard therapy.

A functional test for leukemia treatment

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, is a blood cancer that disrupts the production of mature white blood cells. Doctors choose treatment based partly on the cancer’s subtype and genetic risk factors, but patients with similar genetic findings can respond differently to the same drugs. A test of the live cancer cells themselves could add information that genetic analysis alone may not provide.

GradientScreen is designed to provide that functional evidence at diagnosis. It measures whether patient leukemia cells survive exposure to several drug combinations, giving clinicians a way to assess treatment response directly rather than relying only on predictions based on the cancer’s genetic features.

Testing many dose ratios in one chip

Think of the device as a branching set of channels that creates a range of drug mixtures, much like a mixing board that can adjust several controls at once. In GradientScreen, the microfluidic channels vary the dosage ratios of a three-drug regimen so researchers can test a spectrum of combinations in one experiment.

That differs from testing each combination and dose in a separate culture well, a process that can require more samples and time. The device assesses cancer-cell survival across the different mixtures, producing a profile of how the cells respond. The team says the assay can provide this information from a single patient sample.

Results from 17 patient samples

Kendall Williams and Dan Zhang developed the platform with principal investigator Wilbur Lam. In a retrospective study, the team tested leukemia cells and bone marrow from 17 patients treated at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The survival profiles from the assay corresponded with historical patient outcomes. The measurements also aligned with the amount of residual cancer remaining after the first four weeks of induction chemotherapy, as well as with documented relapses. These findings show a relationship between the chip’s results and clinical records, but the study’s 17 samples provide an early, limited assessment.

Why This Matters

For pediatric patients, a treatment that fails can allow a fast-moving cancer to persist or return. GradientScreen is intended to help clinicians spot harder-to-treat cases earlier and consider alternative approaches. Kendall Williams, a biomedical engineer and study co-author, said the goal is to improve access to precision medicine and more closely match patients with treatment options.

The team plans to test the platform in other blood cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, and in adult patient groups. Those studies will help determine whether the chip’s results can guide treatment decisions across a broader range of patients.

Topics: Microfluidics · Cancer

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