Cluster-Wells: A Technology for Routine and Rapid Isolation of Extremely Rare Circulating Tumor Cell Clusters from...

Isolation of extremely rare circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters from the bloodstream of patients enables minimally invasive diagnosis and prognosis while providing information on their role in metastasis. A few technologies specifically developed for the enrichment of CTC clusters fail to achieve a high enough processing throughput to be practical in clinical settings or risk damaging large clusters owing to their structural design producing high shear forces. Here, we outline a methodology developed for rapid and effective enrichment of CTC clusters from cancer patients, independent of the cluster size and cell surface markers. Minimally invasive access to tumor cells in hematogenous circulation will be an integral part of cancer screening and personalized medicine.