Grant: Operating Grant

Metastasis, or the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another, is responsible for approximately 90% of all cancer related deaths. In order for cancer to spread, cells that are known as circulating tumor cells must detach from a primary tumor, circulate in the bloodstream, and reattach to a different tissue. The goal of our project is to develop technologies to capture, identify, and analyze these cells. Existing methods for capturing circulating tumor cells are known to be unreliable and do not provide the ability to extract the captured cells for further analysis. We will address these key limitations by using an innovative mechanism to isolate these cells based on their physical characteristics and then positively identify them using known molecular markers. Our approach has the potential to enable major advances in the research and treatment of many types of cancers. Specifically, the presence of circulating tumor cells can provide an early indication of disease, while the number and status of these cells can be used to select personalized drugs and dosage levels to most appropriately treat each patient. Furthermore, analysis of the molecular characteristics of circulating tumor cells can help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of metastasis and help to identify targets for new drugs.