Abstract

A Newly Discovered Cell Found in Blood Enables the Detection and Diagnosis of Cancer When it Matters Most

Cha-Mei Tang, President and CEO, Creatv MicroTech

Cancer detected early provides the best chance for successful treatment outcomes.  We discovered a cell in the blood of cancer patients that not only satisfies this unmet need, but also provides many other benefits in the detection and diagnosis of cancer.  The CellSieve^TM microfiltration system is optimal for collecting cells larger than 7-8 microns from whole blood, and this platform is further enhanced by a proprietary technique to stain the cells on the filter for up to 12 markers. During the development process, while using the platform to accurately identify true circulating tumor cells (CTC), apoptotic CTCs, circulating endothelial cells (CECs), and mesenchymal transition cells (EMTs), a previously unreported cell type was discovered, the Cancer Associated Macrophage-Like cell (CAML).  CAMLs are very large, 25-300 microns in size.  They express markers associated with the specific cancer.  They have been isolated from the blood of patients with all solid tumor types analyzed. However, they are not found in healthy controls.  CAMLs are found in common epithelial cancers, such as breast, prostate, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, liver, kidney, melanoma, ovarian, esophageal and bladder cancers, and also in rare solid tumors, such as neuroblastomas and sarcomas.  They are found in all stages of cancer, including high percentages in stage I.  Analysis of clinical data has demonstrated that the detection of CAMLs is applicable in many ways including cancer screening, early detection of cancer recurrence, prognosis, companion diagnostics for treatment selection and precision monitoring of a therapeutic response.  We have the tools to transform cancer diagnostics, thereby improving and saving lives.