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Updated: Oct 12, 2025
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Rapid Isolation of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Patient Blood Samples
Published on: June 15, 2012
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Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells from Peripheral Blood Samples of Cancer Patients Using Microfluidic Technology.
A B Volovetskiy1, P A Malinina2, A Y Kapitannikova3
1Researcher, Laboratory of Nanotheranostics, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology Park; I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 8/2 Malaya Trubetskaya St., Moscow, 119991, Russia.
Sovremennye Tekhnologii V Meditsine
|November 19, 2021
Summary
This study demonstrates a novel microfluidic technology for isolating intact circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from cancer patient blood. This method effectively identifies CTCs and confirms their epithelial origin for further cancer research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial biomarkers for cancer metastasis and treatment monitoring.
- Accurate isolation of intact CTCs from peripheral blood remains a significant challenge in cancer diagnostics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate an innovative microfluidic technology for the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from cancer patients' peripheral blood.
- To assess the effectiveness of the microfluidic chip in separating and preserving CTCs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a microfluidic chip employing inertial forces for cell separation based on size (>13 μm) and density.
- Employed Romanowsky-Giemsa staining, Anti-Cytokeratin (CK3-6H5)-FITC antibody, and DAPI dye for cell identification and viability assessment.
- Processed peripheral blood samples from 5 patients with disseminated malignant epithelial tumors.
Main Results:
- Detected CTCs in all 5 cancer patients, with numbers ranging from 1 to 9 cells per sample.
- Identified CTC clusters in patients with laryngeal, non-small cell lung, and floor of the mouth cancers.
- Confirmed epithelial origin of isolated cells via cytokeratin staining and intactness via DAPI nuclear staining.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic technology effectively isolates intact circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from cancer patient blood.
- Immunocytochemical studies successfully confirmed the epithelial nature of the isolated CTCs.
