Tumour cells circulating in the bloodstream of patients with prostate cancer can be imaged automatically using a microfluidic system developed by researchers in Boston.
The team had previously devised a microfluidic chip that detects certain types of tumour cell in the blood by capturing cells carrying a key surface marker. Daniel Haber and his co-workers at the Massachusetts General Hospital have now automated their imaging system to enable fast, standardized cell characterization. They tested the device on prostate cancer cells, which carry the marker prostate-specific antigen.
By monitoring levels of circulating tumour cells in patients before and after surgery, the authors were able to estimate the half-life of the cells in the blood. They also identified subsets of cancer cells with other key markers, including one for cell proliferation. They say that clinical trials are needed to test whether these circulating cells can serve as a reliable indicator of disease progression and clinical outcome.
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Cancer detection: Tracking roving cancer cells. Nature 464, 817 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/464817a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/464817a
