Whole blood stabilization for the microfluidic isolation and molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells.

ABSTRACT: Precise rare-cell technologies require the blood to be processed immediately or be stabilized with fixatives. Such restrictions limit the translation of circulating tumor cell (CTC)-based liquid biopsy assays that provide accurate molecular data in guiding clinical decisions. Here we describe a method to preserve whole blood in its minimally altered state by combining hypothermic preservation with targeted strategies that counter cooling-induced platelet activation. Using this method, whole blood preserved for up to 72 h can be readily processed for microfluidic sorting without compromising CTC yield and viability. The tumor cells retain high-quality intact RNA suitable for single-cell RT-qPCR as well as RNA-Seq, enabling the reliable detection of cancer-specific transcripts including the

SUBMITTER: Wong KHK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5700979 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature