Current methods for capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are based on the overexpression of cytokeratin (CK) or epithelial cell-adhesion molecule (EpCAM) on cancer cells. However, during the process of metastasis, tumor cells undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) that can lead to the loss of CK/EpCAM expression. Therefore, it is vital to develop a capturing technique independent of CK/EpCAM expression on the cancer cell. To develop this technique, it is important to identify common secondary oncogenic markers overexpressed on tumor cells before and after EMT. We analyzed the biomarker expression levels in tumor cells, before and after EMT, and found two common proteins human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) whose levels remained unaffected. So, we synthesized immunomagnetic iron nanocubes covalently conjugated with antibodies of Her2 or EGFR to capture cancer cells irrespective of the EMT status. The nanocubes showed high specificity (6 to 9 fold) in isolating the cancer cells of interest from a mixture of cells spiked in serum. We characterized the captured cells for identifying their EMT status. Thus, we believe the results presented here would help in the development of novel strategies for capturing both primary and metastatic cancer cells from patients blood to develop an effective treatment plan.
Marangoni-Driven Redistribution and Activity of Piezo1 Molecules in Epithelial and Cancer Cells
University of Belgrade（贝尔格莱德大学）；Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute（维克多·陈心脏研究所）；University of New South Wales（新南威尔士大学）；Lancaster University（兰开斯特大学）
A multiscale approach to the migration of cancer stem cells: mathematical modelling and simulations
Institute of Mathematics, Johannes Gutenberg-University（数学研究所，约翰内斯·古腾堡大学）；Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Johannes Gutenberg-University（分子生物物理研究所，约翰内斯·古腾堡大学）
