Exploring sialyl-Tn expression in microfluidic-isolated circulating tumour cells: a novel biomarker and an analytical tool for precision oncology applications.

Exploring sialyl-Tn expression in microfluidic-isolated circulating tumour cells: a novel biomarker and an analytical tool for precision oncology applications. N Biotechnol. 2018 Sep 28;: Authors: Neves M, Azevedo R, Lima L, Oliveira MI, Peixoto A, Ferreira D, Soares J, Fernandes E, Gaiteiro C, Palmeira C, Cotton S, Mereiter S, Campos D, Afonso LP, Ribeiro R, Fraga A, Tavares A, Mansinho H, Monteiro E, Videira PA, Freitas PP, Reis CA, Santos LL, Dieguez L, Ferreira JA Abstract Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) originating from a primary tumour, lymph nodes and distant metastases hold great potential for liquid biopsies by providing a molecular fingerprint for disease dissemination and its temporal evolution through the course of disease management. CTC enumeration, classically defined on the basis of surface expression of Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM) and absence of the pan-leukocyte marker CD45, has been shown to correlate with clinical outcome. However, existing approaches introduce bias into the subsets of captured CTCs, which may exclude biologically and clinically relevant subpopulations. Here we explore the overexpression of the membrane protein O-glycan sialyl-Tn (STn) antigen in advanced bladder and colorectal tumours, but not in blood cells, to propose a novel CTC isolation technology. Using a size-based microfluidic device, we show that the majority (>90%) of CTCs isolated from the blood of patients with metast...
Source: New Biotechnology - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: N Biotechnol Source Type: research