Abstract

Circulating Biomarkers: The New Nanotube-CTC-Microarray Chip for Clinical Impact

Balaji Panchapakesan, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

The ability to detect cancer and its heterogeneity non-invasively in the earliest of stages can make a significant clinical impact. Therefore, biopsy of blood and other bodily fluids also called “liquid biopsy” is an emerging concept for non-invasive detection as opposed to surgical methods. Circulating biomarkers is a rapidly growing field of research. Circulating biomarkers include, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free DNA and RNA (mRNA, miRNA, non-coding RNA, and other RNAs), circulating proteins and metabolites. There are over 400 different methods to capture and analyze circulating biomarkers. However, the clinical impacts of liquid biopsy are yet to be realized. We describe the nanotube-CTC-chip for capture and analysis of circulating tumor biomarkers. Using a micro-array technology, well established in the clinical domain, and utilizing nanosurfaces, we demonstrate the capture and isolation of invasive CTCs, CTC clusters and metastasis initiating cells (MICs). Further, these micro-arrays could be used with little modification to capture exosomes, ctDNA, cfDNA and other protein biomarkers in a single chip. One can also develop nanosequencing techniques using these micro-arrays suggesting a standardized platform for liquid biopsies.