Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells and Other Rare Cells in Blood Using the RareCyte Platform

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Medical Diagnostics
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Rare cell populations in blood, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), are crucial for research and diagnostics.
• Current methods for rare cell detection face challenges in sensitivity, repeatability, and sample handling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the RareCyte platform, an integrated solution for rare cell detection, characterization, and isolation from whole blood.
• To highlight the platform's capabilities in analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a model for rare cell analysis.

Main Methods:

• Blood collection using AccuCyte® blood collection tubes (BCTs) for sample stabilization and transport.
• Density-based separation for collecting nucleated cells and preparing slide smears, with options for long-term storage.
• Automated immunofluorescent staining and CyteFinder® imaging for high-sensitivity detection and dual-biomarker characterization of rare cells.
• CytePicker® for single rare cell isolation for downstream molecular analysis (DNA/RNA).

Main Results:

• The RareCyte platform provides a robust, repeatable workflow from sample collection to rare cell analysis.
• Enables high-sensitivity detection and phenotypic characterization of rare cells, including CTCs.
• Facilitates single CTC isolation for molecular analysis, supporting applications like next-generation sequencing.

Conclusions:

• The RareCyte platform offers a comprehensive, image-based solution for rare cell analysis, particularly CTCs.
• The platform's features, including sample stability and automated processing, are valuable for global clinical trials.
• This technology advances the field of liquid biopsy by enabling detailed characterization and molecular profiling of rare cells.