Imaging circulating tumor cells in freely moving awake small animals using a miniaturized intravital microscope.

ABSTRACT: Metastasis, the cause for 90% of cancer mortality, is a complex and poorly understood process involving the invasion of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) into blood vessels. These cells have potential prognostic value as biomarkers for early metastatic risk. But their rarity and the lack of specificity and sensitivity in measuring them render their interrogation by current techniques very challenging. How and when these cells are circulating in the blood, on their way to potentially give rise to metastasis, is a question that remains largely unanswered. In order to provide an insight into this "black box" using non-invasive imaging, we developed a novel miniature intravital microscopy (mIVM) strategy capable of real-time long-term monitoring of CTCs in awake small animals. We established an e

SUBMITTER: Sasportas LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3908955 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature