Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells that break off from tumors and spread to other parts of the body, or metastasize, through the bloodstream. However, the role of CTCs in metastasis is not yet fully understood, as they can sometimes be genetically different from the primary tumor. Their unique genetic makeup combined with the incredible rarity of CTCs makes cancer therapies that target the primary tumor less effective because they may not eliminate the CTCs in the bloodstream. Previous cancer therapies employed an approach that didn’t account for the unique CTCs in each individual, which may explain why the cancers responded poorly to treatment.
Image Source: ABK
Dr. Mehmet Toner and his research team at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have developed a microchip called Cluster-Chip that traps clusters of CTCs in unaltered blood. The Cluster-Chip uses the unique structure of CTC clusters to trap them in a series of triangular posts. Blood cells and single CTCs can pass between the points of the posts, but the clusters, 99% of which contain four cells or more, are stuck between these posts. The novelty of this technique comes from its ability to trap the metastasized tumors while maintaining their structure. Trapped CTC clusters could then be removed by reversing the flow of solution through the Cluster-Chip.
The Cluster-Chip was clinically tested with 60 participants who had metastatic cancer. According to the National Institutes of Health, the device trapped CTC clusters in 40.7% of breast cancer patients, 30% of melanoma patients, and 31% of prostate cancer patients. Previous studies showed that detecting CTCs can also serve as a prognostic tool in cases of prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers.
These studies have revealed much about the biology of CTCs, including what kinds of cells they contain and how they can be better tracked throughout the body. The Cluster-Chip could help further the research of cancer metastasis.
Feature Image Source: Circulating Tumor DNA by National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
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