Abstract

Microfluidics for the Isolation of Biomarkers From Glioblastoma Patients

Shannon Stott, Assistant Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School

Glioblastoma is a highly fatal disease with few treatment options. Due to the location of the tumor, it is challenging to get dynamic, real-time information about the cancer. To address this need, we have developed microfluidic technologies to obtain information about these tumors by isolating rare cells (circulating tumor cells or “CTCs”) and tiny lipid particles, referred to as extracellular vesicles (EVs), from a simple blood draw. In this talk, data will be presented on our technological approach as well as our effort to interrogate their molecular content using next generation RNA sequencing and ddPCR. While the first application of this ‘liquid biopsy’ technology is in monitoring glioblastoma, it can be readily expanded to many different cancers and used to explore the underlying biology of metastasis.