Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 7, 2025
05:58
Clinical Microfluidic Chip Platform for the Isolation of Versatile Circulating Tumor Cells
Published on: October 13, 2023
1.5K
A Novel System to Detect Circulating Tumor Cells Using Two Different Size-selective Microfilters.
Tomoaki Sonoda1,2, Noriko Yanagitani1, Kanako Suga3
1Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, the Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan.
Anticancer Research
|September 29, 2020
Summary
This study introduces a novel method using two microfilters to detect and isolate both single and clustered circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood, aiding in cancer metastasis research.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in clusters significantly enhance metastatic potential compared to single CTCs.
- Current technologies struggle with accurate analysis of both single and clustered CTCs in peripheral blood.
- Accurate detection and isolation of CTCs are crucial for understanding cancer progression and metastasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an effective strategy for detecting and isolating both single and cluster CTCs.
- To utilize size-selective microfiltration for CTC analysis.
- To enable more accurate assessment of CTCs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Main Methods:
- Whole blood samples (5 ml) were collected from 10 patients with EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC.
- Single and cluster CTCs were identified using microfiltration membranes with two distinct pore sizes.
- Anti-EpCAM antibody labeling was employed in conjunction with microfiltration.
Main Results:
- Simultaneous detection of single and cluster CTCs was achieved using the two size-selective microfilters.
- The EGFR-L858R mutation was successfully detected in DNA from cells captured by both microfilters.
- The method demonstrated the ability to differentiate and capture CTCs based on their aggregation state.
Conclusions:
- The developed method effectively detects and isolates both single and cluster CTCs from whole blood.
- This approach holds promise for advancing liquid biopsy strategies in cancer diagnostics.
- Further development may lead to improved monitoring of treatment response and disease progression.
