CTC-Associated Gene Expression Profiles to Predict Prognosis in Metastatic Breast Cancer
John Foekens, Professor, Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands

Besides enumeration, characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTC) may improve outcome prediction and treatment guidance. The ability to measure clinically relevant prognostic CTC-specific gene expression profiles underlines the potential of CTC characterization as a tool to improve individualized cancer treatment.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Circulating Tumour Cells in Neuroendocrine Cancer – What do They Tell us?
Tim Meyer, Senior Lecturer, University College London, United Kingdom

Neuroendocrine tumours have recently been shown to have high expression of EPCAM and many patients have detectable circulating tumour cells. Data will be presented demonstrating the prognostic and predictive relevance of CTCs in this tumour type.

Prognostic and Therapeutic Implications of CTCs in Breast Cancer
Dimitris Mavroudis, Associate Professor, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Greece

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) can be detected in the blood of many patients with early breast cancer and their detection is associated with unfavourable prognosis. CTC detection and characterization offers the opportunity for individualized risk assessment and tailored cancer therapy.

Lunch and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Poster Session

Clinical Use and Development of CTCs in Breast Cancer
Jean-Yves Pierga, Professor, Institut Curie, France

Detection and characterization of CTC in localized and metastatic breast cancer could be use to assess prognostic, monitor treatment and adapt targeted therapies.

Selection, Enumeration and Molecular Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells using Polymer-based Microfluidics
Steven Soper, Professor, Louisiana State University, United States of America

CTC selection, enumeration and molecular profiling using polymer microfluidics will be discussed for determining the mutational status of KRAS oncogenes for colorectal cancers.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

A Nondissipative Approach for Detection and Isolation of Circulating Epithelial Tumor Cells Allows for Timely Therapy Monitoring (Enumeration), Molecular Characterization (Expression Profiling) and Determination of Genetic Heterogeneity (Gene Analysis of Single Tumor Cells) During the Course of Disease.
Katharina Pachmann, Professor, University of Jena, Germany

Monitoring CETC provides the earliest and most reliable indicator of successful treatment. It also, for the first time, allows molecular characterisation of individual circulating tumor cells and help to reveal mechanisms involved in relapse. 

Label-Free Extraction of Circulating Tumor Cells in Polymeric Microdevices for Early Detection
Itziar Gonzalez, Tenured Scientist, CSIC Spanish National Research Council, Spain

A new non-invasive low-cost technology to isolate epithelial tumour cells circulating in peripheral blood is presented as an emerging non-invasive technique for early detection of metastasis. Polymeric microdevices were developed to carry out the cell extraction.

A Workflow for Single-Cell Resolution, Automated, Image-Based Sorting of Pure Circulating Tumor Cells and Their Comprehensive Molecular Characterization
Nicolo Manaresi, Chief Scientific Officer, Silicon Biosystems, Italy

The DEPArray system enables sorting of multiple, individual, 100%-pure CTCs, for their molecular analysis following Ampli1™ Whole Genome Amplification, overcoming the analytical challenges of small number of target cells and the low purity of currently available blood enrichment techniques.

Drinks Reception

Molecular Methods for the Detection and Molecular Profiling of CTC
Evi Lianidou, Professor, University of Athens, Greece

Molecular characterization of CTC can provide important information on the molecular and biologic nature of these cells. This is very important for the identification of therapeutic targets and resistance mechanisms in CTCs as well as for the stratification of patients and real-time monitoring of systemic therapies

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Detection and Characterization of Viable Circulating Tumor cells in solid tumors using the EPISPOT assay.
Catherine Alix-Panabieres, Associate Professor, University Medical Center of Montpellier, France

In this presentation, i will discussing the "Advantages – Disadvantages of the EPISPOT assay", as well as covering the "Application of the EPISPOT assay in breast, prostate and colon cancer".

CTCs: Analysis of the Current Technology Platforms and Market Landscape
Enal Razvi, Managing Director, Select Biosciences Inc, United States of America

Select Biosciences has been tracking the CTCs marketplace and has been following the evolution of technology development in this space.  This is in line with our broader tracking of the biomarkers field and we have been quantifying the marketplace vis-à-vis market size, growth rates of the various segments.  In this presentation, we present a snapshot of these market analyses with a view towards qualitative and quantitative metrics, an industry SWOT analysis, and the current trajectory of this marketplace.

Lunch and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

Poster Session

Detection of Stemness Like Cells Among Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer Patients
Sabine Kasimir-Bauer, Associate Professor, University of Duisburg Essen, Germany

Expression of stem cell and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers in primary and metastatic breast cancer patients with circulating tumor cells. Selection and detection of a heterogeneous CTC population including high-throughput expression profiling. 

Clinical relevance of CTCs in breast cancer
Tanja Fehm, Professor, University of Tuebingen, Germany

The detection of CTC may become one of the most interesting parameters not just for prediction of survival or therapy monitoring but also to characterize and specifically target residual tumor cells.

Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibition Hall

How Can we Use CTCs in Early Clinical Trials of Novel Anticancer Drugs?
Caroline Dive, Professor, University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Enrichment of Cancer Cells in Blood Using Aptamers in Microfluidic Devices
Z Fan, Professor, University of Florida, United States of America

The key is to integrate microfluidics with aptamers for CTC sorting.  The majority of the existing efforts in the literature are using antibody for enrichment of CTC. 

Close of Conference