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Liquid Biopsy Instrument for Ultra-Fast and Label-Free Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells
Shu Zhu1,2, Zhixian Zhu1, Chen Ni1
1School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China.
Research (Washington, D.C.)
|July 25, 2024
Summary
CytoExam offers rapid, label-free detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using a novel liquid biopsy instrument. This minimally invasive technology analyzes blood in under 15 minutes, aiding cancer diagnosis and research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Current cancer diagnostics are often invasive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive.
- There is a critical need for rapid, minimally invasive methods for cancer detection and monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce CytoExam, an automated liquid biopsy instrument for the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
- To evaluate the performance of CytoExam using in silico, in vitro, and clinical studies.
Main Methods:
- CytoExam utilizes inertial microfluidics and impedance cytometry for label-free CTC detection.
- A deep learning algorithm is employed for the analysis of collected cells.
- Peripheral blood samples from healthy donors and cancer patients were analyzed.
Main Results:
- CytoExam achieved label-free detection of CTCs within 15 minutes.
- Significant differences in cell counts and predicted CTCs were observed between cancer patients and healthy donors.
- Variations in the dielectric properties of cells from cancer patients were identified.
Conclusions:
- CytoExam demonstrates clinical applicability for rapid and minimally invasive cancer diagnosis.
- The technology shows potential for advancing cancer diagnostics and scientific research.
- Automated liquid biopsy offers a promising new avenue for real-time cancer monitoring.
