Circulating tumor cells: A novel detection sysyem with “universal” CTC-chip

Abstract

Liquid biopsies may overcome limitations of traditional tissue biopsies. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), tumor cells that are shed from primary tumor and circulate in peripheral blood, can be useful as a surrogate of micro-metastasis. Cell-based liquid biopsies to detect CTCs have a variety of advantages over cell-free liquid biopsies. However, isolation and detection of rare CTCs contaminated among a large number of normal hematologic cells remain a technical challenge. In fact, the “CellSearch” system is the only approved system for clinical use, but our previous studies have indicated that it provided no sufficient sensitivity in detection of CTCs in patients with thoracic malignant tumors including lung cancer and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Accordingly, we have developed a novel microfluidic CTC-detection system called “CTC-chip” with a unique advantage that any antibody to capture CTCs can be easily bound to the chip, and have showed that a variety of tumor cells spiked are captured with the “universal” CTC-chip system. The novel CTC-chip system provides a new insight into not only detection of CTCs but also further molecular analysis of CTCs, which may lead to realizing “precision medicine”.