A cancer detection platform which measures telomerase activity from live circulating tumor cells captured on a microfilter.

Abstract

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) quantified in cancer patients' blood can predict disease outcome and response to therapy. However, the CTC analysis platforms commonly used cannot capture live CTCs and only apply to tumors of epithelial origin. To address these limitations, we have developed a novel cancer detection platform which measures telomerase activity from live CTCs captured on a parylene-C slot microfilter. Using a constant low-pressure delivery system, the new microfilter platform was capable of cell capture from 1 mL of whole blood in less than 5 minutes, achieving 90% capture efficiency, 90% cell viability, and 200-fold sample enrichment. Importantly, the captured cells retained normal morphology by scanning electron microscopy and could be readily manipulated, further analyzed, or expanded on- or off-filter. Telomerase activity--a well-recognized universal cancer marker--was reliably detected by quantitative PCR from as few as 25 cancer cells added into 7.5 mL of whole blood and captured on the microfilter. Moreover, significant telomerase activity elevation was also measured from patients' blood samples and from single cancer cells lifted off of the microfilter. Live CTC capture and analysis is fast and simple yet highly quantitative, versatile, and applicable to nearly all solid tumor types, making this a highly promising new strategy for cancer detection and characterization.

• Authors: Tong Xu, Bo Lu, Yu-Chong Tai, Amir Goldkorn
• Journal: Cancer research (Cancer Res) Vol. 70 Issue 16 Pg. 6420-6 (Aug 15 2010) ISSN: 1538-7445 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20663903 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: (c)2010 AACR.

Chemical References

• Polymers
• Xylenes
• parylene
• Telomerase

Topics

• Case-Control Studies
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Separation (instrumentation, methods)
• Humans
• Male
• Microfluidic Analytical Techniques (instrumentation, methods)
• Neoplastic Cells, Circulating (metabolism, pathology)
• Polymers (chemistry)
• Prostatic Neoplasms (blood, enzymology, pathology)
• Telomerase (metabolism)
• Xylenes (chemistry)