A novel microneedle device for controlled and reliable liquid biopsy of the human inner ear

Samuel Early; In Seok Moon; Krishna Bommakanti; Ian Hunter; Konstantina M Stankovic

doi:10.1016/j.heares.2019.06.004

A novel microneedle device for controlled and reliable liquid biopsy of the human inner ear

Hear Res. 2019 Sep 15:381:107761. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.06.004. Epub 2019 Jun 22.

Authors

Samuel Early¹, In Seok Moon², Krishna Bommakanti¹, Ian Hunter³, Konstantina M Stankovic⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology and Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA, 02114, USA; University of California San Diego School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
² Department of Otolaryngology and Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
³ BioInstrumentation Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology and Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles St., Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St., Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St., Boston, MA, 02115, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 31353070
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.06.004

Abstract

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit worldwide, yet our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology is limited by the challenges of access to the inner ear in a safe and reliable manner. We present a novel microneedle device for trans-round window membrane liquid biopsy, which utilizes controlled depth of perforation and microliter aspiration control to safely biopsy fluids of the inner ear. Of eleven devices tested in fresh frozen human temporal bones, seven demonstrated alignment between electrical, visual and tactile detection of round window membrane perforation, and nine were successful in aspiration of meaningful diagnostic samples from the perilymphatic space. Purity of the average perilymph sample was 69% for a 5 μL sample volume, equivalent to 3.5 μL attributable to perilymph. Diagnostic success was shown both by transmastoid facial recess and transcanal tympanotomy approach. This device can enable new advances in the understanding of inner ear pathology, and brings us one step closer to liquid biopsy of the inner ear becoming a routine part of clinical care.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Ear, Inner / pathology*
Equipment Design
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / pathology*
Humans
Liquid Biopsy / adverse effects
Liquid Biopsy / instrumentation*
Miniaturization
Needles*
Perilymph*