Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Semi-automatic PD-L1 Characterization and Enumeration of Circulating Tumor Cells from Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients by Immunofluorescence
Published on: August 14, 2019
Peptide-functionalized magnetic nanobeads for EpCAM-targeted CTC isolation and immunotherapy efficacy evaluation in
Xuejie Li1, Shan Tian2, Linyang Fan3
1CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Abstract:
Primary liver cancer lacks robust biomarkers for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Methods: We engineered peptide-functionalized magnetic nanobeads (Pep@MNPs) for high-efficiency, EpCAM-dependent capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). This nanotechnology-based platform enabled a precise fluorescence quantitative system (cTPS) associate with immunotherapy outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The Pep@MNPs system revealed a significant correlation between high CTC PD-L1 expression and therapeutic response. Patients with baseline cTPShigh (≥20%) achieved a superior objective response rate compared to the low-expression group (40% vs. 0%; P = 0.005). Utilizing this nanobead-enabled quantification, cTPShigh patients demonstrated significantly prolonged progression-free survival (median 48.29 vs. 5.86 weeks, P = 0.005) and overall survival (median undefined vs. 25.71 weeks, P = 0.004). Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression confirmed cTPShigh as a robust independent predictor for both PFS and OS (both P = 0.005) after adjusting for clinical variables. This peptide-nanobead liquid biopsy strategy effectively stratifies patients benefiting from PD-1 inhibitors, highlighting its potential as a precise theranostic tool for clinical monitoring.
