Capture of Circulating Tumor Cells by Hydrogel-Nanofiber Substrate

Publication date: August 2019Source: Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Volume 47, Issue 8Author(s): Zhi-Li WANG, Pi DING, Tian GAO, Chang-Chong CHEN, Yi CAO, Na SUN, Ren-Jun PEIAbstractThe method for detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is considered as a promising cancer liquid biopsy technique. However, due to the rarity and heterogeneity, it is still a challenging task to capture CTC with high purity and viability from blood for the following enumeration and molecular analysis. Herein, we fabricated a hydrogel-chitosan nanofiber substrate to effectively capture the target cancer cells, assisted by the poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (pCBMA) hydrogel and the anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (anti-EpCAM) antibody. The pCBMA hydrogel layer was fabricated by free radical polymerization to provide an antifouling surface, which could help to reduce the non-specific capture of blood cells to improve the capture purity of CTC. Then, chitosan nanofibers were introduced onto the hydrogel layer to provide a nanostructured surface to improve the capture efficiency. Finally, the capture yield of artificial blood samples on the anti-EpCAM modified hydrogel-nanofiber substrate was up to 79.9%, revealing the potential application of the hydrogel-nanofiber substrate on efficient and sensitive capture of rare circulating tumor cells.Graphical abstractA hydrogel-chitosan nanofiber substrate is developed for effective capture of the target cancer cells, assisted by the p...
Source: Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research