Development of a device for detecting and analyzing cancer cells with blood samples
Worldwide, millions of people are newly diagnosed with cancer every year. In particular, when cancer of organs such as the liver, colon, or kidney is suspected, surgery is often required to make a definitive diagnosis. Recently, a research team at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Australia has developed a new device that can detect and analyze cancer cells in blood samples. It’s a way for doctors to avoid invasive biopsies and monitor treatment progress.
Professor Majid Warkiani of the UTS School of Biomedical Engineering said, “Receiving a biopsy may cause discomfort to patients and increase the risk of complications due to surgery, but accurate cancer diagnosis is essential for effective treatment.”
“Managing cancer through evaluation of tumor cells in a blood sample is much less invasive than doing a tissue biopsy,” he said. “This method allows doctors to do repeat tests and monitor the patient’s response to treatment.” added.
The ‘static droplet microfluidic device’ developed by the research team can quickly detect circulating tumor cells separated from the primary tumor and entering the bloodstream. The device uses the cancer’s unique metabolic signature to distinguish tumor cells from normal blood cells.
“In the 1920s, Otto Warburg discovered that cancer cells consumed more glucose and produced more lactate,” said Professor Warkiani. are monitored,” he explained.
“It is very difficult to find because a single tumor cell can exist among billions of blood cells in 1 mm of blood, but the new detection technology has 38,400 chambers that can isolate and sort the number of metabolically active tumor cells,” he said. said.
Once tumor cells are identified with the device, they can be subjected to genetic and molecular analysis to help diagnose and classify the cancer and create an individualized treatment plan.
Circulating tumor cells are also precursors to metastasis, the movement of cancer to other organs, which causes 90% of cancer-related deaths. Studying these cells may provide clues regarding cancer metastasis, which may aid in the development of new therapies.
Existing biopsy techniques are time-consuming, expensive, and dependent on trained professionals, limiting their application in clinical settings. The new technology is designed for use in research and clinical laboratories without relying on advanced equipment and trained professionals. Thus, it is argued, doctors can diagnose and monitor cancer patients in a practical and cost-effective way.
The research team has applied for a provisional patent for a static droplet microfluidic device and plans to commercialize the product.
The research was published in ‘Biosensors and Bioelectronics’. The original title is ‘Rapid metabolomic screening of cancer cells via high-throughput static droplet microfluidics’.