Abstract

Liquid Biopsy Core (LBC) - Enabling Tools for the Isolation of Liquid Biopsy Markers and Their Molecular Analysis

Malgorzata Witek, Associate Research Professor, The University of Kansas

Liquid biopsies are minimally invasive tests that can be performed frequently, providing “real-time” information on disease status to improve patient outcome. Analyzing different biomarkers present in liquid biopsies, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and extracellular vesicles (EVs), requires enrichment to select the low abundant disease-associated markers from clinical samples. The LBC provides a diverse range of technologies that are directed at both enriching liquid biopsy markers and their downstream molecular analysis. The LBC uses a combination of microfluidics with full process automation for enriching the full complement of liquid biopsy markers with exquisite analytical figures-of-merit. As examples of utility of LBC technologies, we will present clinical data on identifying the molecular subtypes of breast cancer using EV’s mRNA and monitoring response to therapy in pancreatic cancer via CTCs.