SPECIFIC DETECTION TOOL FOR MESENCHYMAL AND EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL TRANSFORMED CIRCULATING TUMOR CELLS

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a specific detection tool for mesenchymal and epithelial-mesenchymal transformed circulating tumor cells.SOLUTION: The present invention includes the discovery of cell-surface vimentin as a novel biomarker to detect and isolate mesenchymal and epithelial-mesenchymal transformed circulating tumor cells from blood of cancer patients. In addition, an antibody specific for the detection of cell-surface vimentin on circulating tumor cells and the use of the antibody to detect, enumerate and isolate CTC are provided. In one embodiment, the present invention provides an isolated monoclonal antibody, where the antibody specifically binds to a vimentin polypeptide, and the antibody competes for binding of the polypeptide with a 84-1 monoclonal antibody.SELECTED DRAWING: None