10/6 – Benjamin Owen, University of Edinburgh

This is an in-person event in room COMRB 7175 on west campus (directions).  You can also watch seminar live here>>

Speaker:

Benjamin Owen, Ph.D.

Chancellor's Fellow

Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids

School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh

Title: Virtual Blood Tests: How Fluid Simulations Can Help Catch Cancer Sooner

Abstract:
The early detection of cancer remains one of the most critical factors in improving patient outcomes, yet current diagnostic methods often fail to identify cancers at their earliest and most treatable stages. Circulating tumour cells (CTCs), shed from primary or metastatic lesions into the bloodstream, represent a promising biomarker for minimally invasive “liquid biopsies.” However, their extreme rarity and biophysical similarity to healthy blood cells present formidable challenges for isolation and detection. Inertial microfluidics—a branch of microfluidics that exploits hydrodynamic forces at intermediate Reynolds numbers—offers a scalable, label-free approach for enriching CTCs directly from blood samples. In this seminar, I will explore how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of inertial microfluidic devices enable the precise prediction and optimization of flow patterns, particle trajectories, and cell–channel interactions. By virtually prototyping device geometries and operating conditions, CFD accelerates the design process, reduces experimental trial-and-error, and reveals mechanisms governing cell focusing and separation. Case studies will highlight how simulation-driven design improves capture efficiency, purity, and throughput in CTC isolation platforms. Ultimately, integrating CFD-based insights into microfluidic development can bring us closer to reliable, non-invasive cancer diagnostics that support earlier detection and more personalized treatment strategies.