Biotin-triggered decomposable immunomagnetic beads for capture and release of circulating tumor cells.

Isolation of rare, pure, and viable circulating tumor cells (CTCs) provides a significant insight in early cancer diagnosis, and release of captured CTCs without damage for ex vivo culture may offer an opportunity for personalized cancer therapy. In this work, we described a biotin-triggered decomposable immunomagnetic system, in which peptide-tagged antibody designed by chemical conjugation was specifically immobilized on engineered protein-coated magnetic beads. The interaction between peptide and engineered protein can be reversibly destroyed by biotin treatment, making capture and release of CTCs possible.