The hunt for the TSOK
A new method of capturing cancer cells has been invented
It will help to more accurately detect the development of a tumor in the early stages of its occurrence
Alexey Yevglevsky, Naked Science
Scientists from the University of Georgia (USA) have created a device that is able to capture circulating tumor cells from the patient's bloodstream with maximum efficiency. The work was published in the journal Lab on a Chip (Zhao et al., Tumor antigen-independent and cell size variation-inclusive enrichment of viable circulating tumor cells).
Circulating tumor cells (CCCs) are cells that are isolated from the primary tumor focus into the vascular or lymphatic system of a person. They cause the appearance of metastases – secondary pathological foci. Their early detection contributes to timely treatment and prolongation of the patient's life, but modern detection methods allocate a small number of CCS, which does not allow an accurate diagnosis at the initial stages of the disease. A new device created by specialists from the University of Georgia solves this problem.
Their method is based on the contrast of magnetized cells in biocompatible ferrofluids and is called "integrated ferrohydrodynamic cell separation". The device is the size of a USB drive and extracts a COC from a person's blood using a magnetic field. One of the authors of the article Yang Liu told about its principle of operation:
"The first stage of filtration is the removal of debris from the blood that exceeds 0.05 millimeters. At the second stage, the connection of magnetic beads and leukocytes takes place. At the third stage, the separation of the CSC and labeled leukocytes is carried out."
Schematic representation of the principle of operation of the device (from the article in Lab on a Chip). CTC – circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor cells, WBC – white blood cells, leukocytes.
Blood is passed through channels that are thinner than a human hair. Magnetic particles are added to it, on which leukocytes stick. In this state, the blood enters the magnetic field that holds the magnetized leukocytes in the center of the flow, and the TSCs diverge along the edges and fall into channels specially designated for them. In this way, biologists can isolate 99 percent of the circulating tumor cells in a sample.
According to the authors, this method solves the problem of detecting various subtypes of CSCs that previous methods missed. The definition of subtypes depends on which treatment the doctor prescribes. Moreover, it provides information about the possible recurrence and progression of the disease. Now specialists will focus on making the device more convenient for use in the clinic.
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