Negative enrichment of circulating tumor cells in blood using a microfluidic chip

Abstract

The enumeration and analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is an increasing interest for monitoring disease progression or response to treatment, specifically as a companion diagnostic for new anticancer drugs, and for research into the mechanisms of disease progression and metastases. Ideally, CTCs would be enriched from very small samples, with minimal handling, high recovery, and no requirement for the expression of specific surface markers. Here, we describe negative enrichment as the preferred approach for cancer cell isolation using a microfluidic platform.