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

摘要

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) 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 qPCR from as few as 25 cancer cells spiked into 7.5 ml whole blood and captured on microfilter. Moreover, significant telomerase activity elevation also was measured from patient blood samples and from single cancer cells lifted off 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.