Promoting Multivalent Antibody-Antigen Interactions by Tethering Antibody Molecules on a PEGylated Dendrimer-Supported Lipid Bilayer.

To efficiently isolate maximal quantity of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor cell microembolis (CTMs) from patient blood by antibody coated microfluidics, a multifunctional, pegylated polyamidoamine-dendrimers conjugated supported lipid bilayer surface construct was proposed to enhance accessibility of antibody molecules to the antigen molecules on target CTCs. The combination of a hydrated, stretchable dendrimer and a laterally mobile supported lipid bilayer (SLB) provide attached antibody molecules with 2.5-dimensional chain movement, achieving multivalency between the surface antibody and cell antigen molecules.

Site-specific antibody modification and immobilization on a microfluidic chip to promote the capture of circulating tumor cells and microemboli.

We design and synthesize EpCAM antibodies with Fc-domain site-specific linkers that allow preferential alignment when coated on microfluidic devices for capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from colorectal cancer patients. The aligned coating is shown to increase the capture efficiency of CTCs and microemboli by 1.6 and 3.

A High Circulating Tumor Cell Count in Portal Vein Predicts Liver Metastasis From Periampullary or Pancreatic Cancer: A High Portal Venous CTC Count Predicts Liver Metastases.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) released from a periampullary or pancreatic cancer can be more frequently detected in the portal than the systemic circulation and potentially can be used to identify patients with liver micrometastases. Aims of this study is to determine if CTCs count in portal venous blood of patients with nonmetastatic periampullary or pancreatic adenocarcinoma can be used as a predictor for subsequent liver metastases. CTCs were quantified in portal and peripheral venous blood samples collected simultaneously during pancreaticoduodenectomy in patients with presumed periampullary or pancreatic adenocarcinoma without image-discernible metastasis.

Clinical Significance of Circulating Tumor Microemboli as a Prognostic Marker in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Background: Characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has been used to provide prognostic, predictive, and pharmacodynamic information in many different cancers. However, the clinical significance of CTCs and circulating tumor microemboli (CTM) in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has yet to be determined.

Methods: In this prospective study, CTCs and CTM were enumerated in the peripheral blood of 63 patients with PDAC before treatment using anti-EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule)-conjugated supported lipid bilayer-coated microfluidic chips.