Transcriptome Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells to Predict Clinical Outcomes in Metastatic Castration-Resistant...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Molecular Diagnostics

Background:

• Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are valuable non-invasive biomarkers in cancer diagnostics.
• Current CTC detection methods, like antibody-based selection, may miss cancer cell heterogeneity.
• Limitations in capturing diverse CTC phenotypes hinder the full prognostic potential of liquid biopsies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Parsortix technology for CTC enrichment from prostate cancer (PCa) patient blood.
• To perform transcriptome analysis on enriched CTCs using HyCEAD technology.
• To correlate CTC transcriptome profiles with clinical outcomes in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Main Methods:

• Utilized the FDA-approved Parsortix system for CTC enrichment based on physical properties (size, deformability).
• Conducted transcriptome analysis on enriched CTCs employing the HyCEAD technology with a specific PCa gene panel.
• Correlated patient data with CTC transcriptome profiles to assess prognostic and predictive value.

Main Results:

• Successfully enriched CTCs from PCa patients using Parsortix technology.
• Stratified mCRPC patients based on clinical outcomes using a tailored PCa gene panel for CTC transcriptome analysis.
• Identified potential for targeted CTC transcriptome profiling to predict therapy response.

Conclusions:

• CTC enrichment using size and deformability (Parsortix) offers a more comprehensive approach than phenotype-based methods.
• Tailored transcriptome profiling of CTCs can stratify mCRPC patients and may predict treatment efficacy.
• This approach enhances the clinical utility of CTCs as versatile biomarkers for prostate cancer management.