Innovative Bio-Detection Platform Improves Early Cancer Screening and Monitoring

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death globally, underscoring the critical need for more advanced, efficient, and early detection methods. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells that have detached from the primary tumor and are circulating in the blood. These cells carry genetic and cellular information from the tumor and can provide essential insights into the characteristics of the primary tumor. The precise diagnosis and detailed analysis of CTCs through multi-omics technologies are vital for early cancer screening, disease monitoring, as well as for the development of therapies like cell treatments and mRNA vaccines targeted at specific antigens and cancer cells, enhancing personalized cancer care. CTCs offer valuable data for clinical applications, including early detection, diagnostics, treatment planning, and efficacy monitoring. However, due to the limitations of current detection technologies, the full potential of CTCs in cancer monitoring and early detection has not yet been fully realized.

In response to this need, a pioneering research project led by scientists at the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK, Kowloon, Hong Kong) is focused on creating an innovative platform for early cancer detection and personalized treatment. The project’s goal is to enhance CTC detection, marking a significant step forward in cancer diagnosis and treatment. The next-generation CTC detection platform will offer improved sensitivity and specificity, addressing clinical demands in cancer early screening, diagnosis, and therapy. Researchers at CityUHK have been concentrating on biochips and nanotechnology for molecular diagnostics and therapeutics.

The team is currently working on developing a platform that integrates microfluidic chip technology with immune-microparticle isolation methods, which will efficiently and sensitively detect CTCs based on their physical and biological properties. The system will consist of an automated CTC sorting instrument, a cell staining device, an imaging system, and reagent kits for profiling CTC proteins and genes. This comprehensive setup will facilitate CTC counting, classification, and detailed analysis of CTC proteins and genetic markers, ultimately supporting cancer early screening, diagnosis, treatment selection, efficacy evaluation, prognosis, and fulfilling the needs of precision medicine.

“The challenges of CTC detection lie in the low number of CTCs in blood samples, complexity of CTCs and the blood matrix, which requires efficient and specific techniques for their enrichment and characterization, and to expand CTC-based cultures for further extensive analysis, further to paving the way for personalized cancer vaccines and cell-based treatments,” said Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, who is leading the research team. “The project is dedicated to establishing and commercializing a CTC detection system for cancer screening and monitoring within the next two years, to increase the early detection rate and improve treatment efficacy and quality of life for patients.”

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