Abstract

Development of an Automated, Sensitive Microfluidic Device for Capturing and Characterizing CTCs from Whole Blood Samples

Priyadarshini Gogoi, Vice President, Celsee Diagnostics

Current technologies for isolating and analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are hindered by sub-optimal sensitivity and specificity of devices or assays as well as lack of the capability to characterize CTCs with clinical biomarkers. We developed and validated a novel technology to capture and characterize CTCs from whole blood samples of patients with metastatic cancers. The Celsee PREP system uses a microfluidic chip which has approximately 56,320 individual capture chambers. Based on differences in size and deformability of cells, each chamber ensures that smaller blood cells escape while larger CTCs are trapped and isolated in the chambers. Coupled with Celsee ANALYZER, the system automates the entire process from sample preparation to image analysis. The Celsee system not only allows for detection of individual CTCs with high sensitivity and specificity, it also enables downstream characterization of the captured cells by immunohistochemistry, DNA and mRNA fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH). Moreover, captured CTCs can be retrieved from the microfluidic chip, further purified with anti-CD45 magnetic beads and partitioned into single cells. The cell recovery rate is greater than 80% and the number of remaining background leukocytes is very low (about 100 cells). The resulting DNA and RNA samples can be subjected to analysis of cancer markers by using PCR and NGS. In conclusion, the integrated Celsee system represents a promising CTC technology for single cell capture and molecular characterization.