Circulating Tumor Cells

Capturing circulating tumor cells not only could be an alternative to taking a biopsy, their detection could hold earlier diagnosis of metastatic disease.  So far, there’s only one company (Veridex LLC, Raritan, NJ, an in vitro diagnostics subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) that makes an FDA-approved test kit for capturing epithelial cells that have become malignant.  The technology works similar to the magnetic beads process of capturing hematopoietic stem cells from peripheral blood.  Verdix uses an epithelial cell antibody and a ferrofluid nanoparticle to capture and collect circulating tumor cells.  A magnet draws out the nanoparticles, and this approach is approved for breast, colon and prostate cancers.    MORE

Image Credit: Dmitry Sunagatov – Fotolia.com and Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News