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Microfluidics-based High-throughput Circulating Tumor Cell Sorting and Single-cell Sequencing Technology
Published on: November 14, 2025
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Analytical evaluation for somatic mutation detection in circulating tumor cells isolated using a lateral
Hyungseok Cho1, Jinho Kim1, Song-I Han1
1Department of Nano Science and Engineering Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, 607 Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyongnam, 621-749, Republic of Korea.
Biomedical Microdevices
|September 16, 2016
Summary
A new CTC-μChip effectively isolates circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood, enabling sensitive detection of cancer mutations. This technology aids in monitoring cancer evolution and personalizing treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Oncology
- Genetics
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) offer comprehensive genetic information for cancer monitoring and therapeutic selection, surpassing single-site tumor biopsies.
- Existing CTC isolation techniques often yield insufficient quality or quantity for genetic mutation profiling via DNA sequencing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel lateral magnetophoretic microseparator, the CTC-μChip, for high-purity isolation of CTCs from peripheral blood.
- To demonstrate the CTC-μChip's capability in facilitating the detection of somatic mutations in isolated CTCs.
Main Methods:
- Nucleated cells were prepared from peripheral blood via red blood cell lysis.
- CTCs were isolated from nucleated cells within 30 minutes using the CTC-μChip.
- Next-generation sequencing was employed to detect somatic mutations in isolated cells.
Main Results:
- The CTC-μChip achieved an average recovery rate of 99.08% for spiked breast cancer cells (MCF7) in 5 mL blood samples.
- Exceptional white blood cell (WBC) depletion was observed, with a 472,000-fold reduction (5.67 log).
- Somatic mutations (PIK3CA, APC) were detectable in as few as two MCF7 cells per milliliter of blood.
Conclusions:
- The CTC-μChip enables efficient isolation of highly pure CTCs, crucial for downstream genetic analysis.
- This technology significantly advances the potential for detecting cancer-driving somatic mutations directly from blood samples.
- The CTC-μChip facilitates personalized medicine by enabling sensitive monitoring of cancer genetic evolution.
