Functionalized Interventional System for in Situ Hematologic Cell Capture

Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis based on fetal cells (cell-based NIPD) offers a safer alternative to traditional invasive procedures but remains limited by the low abundance of fetal nucleated red blood cells (FNRBCs) in maternal circulation and the inefficiency of current isolation techniques. Here, we present a functionalized interventional system for in situ hematologic cell capture (FISHC) directly from peripheral blood, eliminating the need for blood withdrawal and ex vivo processing. FISHC features a carboxybetaine methacrylate (CBMA)-functionalized medical wire with immobilized FNRBC-specific antibodies, enabling high-specificity cell capture under physiological conditions. In vivo validation in a pregnant monkey model confirms its feasibility for efficient and minimally invasive fetal cell retrieval. FISHC represents a paradigm shift in cell-based NIPD and holds promise for broader biomedical applications, including circulating tumor cell detection and real-time liquid biopsy technologies.