Capture and Release of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Blood

We demonstrate a method for size based capture of viable circulating tumor cell (CTC) from whole blood, along with the release of these cells from chip ...

SRI International

Our goal was to establish primary cultures from dissociation of breast tumors in order to provide cellular models that may better recapitulate breast cancer pathogenesis and the metastatic process. Here, we report the characterization of six cellular models derived from the dissociation of primary breast tumor specimens, referred to as "dissociated tumor (DT) cells." In vitro, DT cells were characterized by proliferation assays, colony formation assays, protein, and gene expression profiling, including PAM50 predictor analysis. In vivo, tumorigenic and metastatic potential of DT cultures was assessed in NOD/SCID and NSG mice. These cellular models differ from recently developed patient-derived xenograft models in that they can be used for both in vitro and in vivo studies. PAM50 predictor analysis showed DT cultures similar to their paired primary tumor and as belonging to the basal and Her2-enriched subtypes. In vivo, three DT cultures are tumorigenic in NOD/SCID and NSG mice, and one of these is metastatic to lymph nodes and lung after orthotopic inoculation into the mammary fat pad, without excision of the primary tumor. Three DT cultures comprised of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were isolated from luminal A, Her2-enriched, and basal primary tumors. Among the DT cells are those that are tumorigenic and metastatic in immunosuppressed mice, offering novel cellular models of ER-negative breast cancer subtypes. A group of CAFs provide tumor subtype-specific components of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Altogether, these DT cultures provide closer-to-primary cellular models for the study of breast cancer pathogenesis, metastasis, and TME.

Primary breast tumor-derived cellular models: characterization of tumorigenic, metastatic, and cancer-associated fibroblasts in dissociated tumor (DT) cultures.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are recognized as a candidate biomarker with strong prognostic and predictive potential in metastatic disease. Filtration-based enrichment technologies have been used for CTC characterization, and our group has previously developed a membrane microfilter device that demonstrates efficacy in model systems and clinical blood samples. However, uneven filtration surfaces make the use of standard microscopic techniques a difficult task, limiting the performance of automated imaging using commercially available technologies. Here, we report the use of Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) to tackle this challenge. Employing this method, we were able to obtain high-resolution color images, including amplitude and phase, of the microfilter samples over large areas. FPM's ability to perform digital refocusing on complex images is particularly useful in this setting as, in contrast to other imaging platforms, we can focus samples on multiple focal planes within the same frame despite surface unevenness. In model systems, FPM demonstrates high image quality, efficiency, and consistency in detection of tumor cells when comparing corresponding microfilter samples to standard microscopy with high correlation (R² = 0.99932). Based on these results, we believe that FPM will have important implications for improved, high throughput, filtration-based CTC analysis, and, more generally, image analysis of uneven surfaces.

Fourier ptychographic microscopy for filtration-based circulating tumor cell enumeration and analysis.

The analysis of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in cancer patients could provide important information for therapeutic management. Enrichment of viable CTCs could permit performance of functional analyses on CTCs to broaden understanding of metastatic disease. However, this has not been widely accomplished. Addressing this challenge, we present a separable bilayer (SB) microfilter for viable size-based CTC capture. Unlike other single-layer CTC microfilters, the precise gap between the two layers and the architecture of pore alignment result in drastic reduction in mechanical stress on CTCs, capturing them viably. Using multiple cancer cell lines spiked in healthy donor blood, the SB microfilter demonstrated high capture efficiency (78-83%), high retention of cell viability (71-74%), high tumour cell enrichment against leukocytes (1.7-2 × 10(3)), and widespread ability to establish cultures post-capture (100% of cell lines tested). In a metastatic mouse model, SB microfilters successfully enriched viable mouse CTCs from 0.4-0.6 mL whole mouse blood samples and established in vitro cultures for further genetic and functional analysis. Our preliminary studies reflect the efficacy of the SB microfilter device to efficiently and reliably enrich viable CTCs in animal model studies, constituting an exciting technology for new insights in cancer research.

Separable bilayer microfiltration device for viable label-free enrichment of circulating tumour cells.

CORRIGENDUM: Separable Bilayer Microfiltration Device for Viable Label-free Enrichment of Circulating Tumour Cells.

Multiple juxtacrine and paracrine interactions occur between cancer cells and non-cancer cells of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that direct tumor progression. Cancer Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) are an integral component of the TME, and the majority of breast tumor stroma is comprised of CAFs. Heterotypic interactions between cancer cells and non-cancer cells of the TME occur via soluble agents, including cytokines, hormones, growth factors, and secreted microRNAs. We previously identified a microRNA signature indicative of hyperactive MAPK signaling (hMAPK-miRNA signature) that significantly associated with reduced recurrence-free and overall survival. Here we report that the hMAPK-miRNA signature associates with a high metric of stromal cell infiltrate, and we investigate the role of microRNAs, particularly hMAPK-microRNAs, secreted by CAFs on estrogen receptor (ER) expression in breast cancer cells. ER-positive MCF-7/ltE2- cells were treated with conditioned media (CM) from CAFs derived from breast cancers of different PAM50 subtypes (CAFBAS, CAFHER2, and CAFLA). CAF CM isolated specifically from ER-negative primary breast tumors led to ER repression in vitro. Nanoparticle tracking analysis and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of CAF-secreted exosomes in CM and the uptake of these exosomes by the ER+ MCF-7/ltE2- cells. Differentially expressed microRNAs in CAF CM as well as in MCF-7/ltE2- cells treated with this CM were identified. Knockdown of miR-221/222 in CAFBAS resulted in knockdown of miR221/222 levels in the conditioned media and the CM from CAFBAS; miR221/222 knockdown rescued ER repression in ER-positive cell lines treated with CAFBAS-CM. Collectively, our results demonstrate that CAF-secreted microRNAs are directly involved in ER-repression, and may contribute to the MAPK-induced ER repression in breast cancer cells.

Hierarchical paracrine interaction of breast cancer associated fibroblasts with cancer cells via hMAPK-microRNAs to drive ER-negative breast cancer phenotype.

Stimulus responsive release of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), with high recovery rates from their capture platform, is highly desirable for off-chip analyses. Here, we present a temperature responsive polymer coating method to achieve both release as well as culture of viable CTCs captured from patient blood samples.

Thermoresponsive release of viable microfiltrated Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) for precision medicine applications.

Metastasis is facilitated by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) in the tumor microenvironment through mechanisms yet to be elucidated. In this study, we used a size-based microfilter technology developed by our group to examine whether circulating CAF identified by FAP and α-SMA co-expression (cCAF) could be distinguished in the peripheral blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer. In a pilot study of patients with breast cancer, we detected the presence of cCAFs in 30/34 (88%) patients with metastatic disease (MET group) and in 3/13 (23%) patients with localized breast cancer (LOC group) with long-term disease-free survival. No cCAFs as defined were detected in healthy donors. Further, both cCAF and circulating tumor cells (CTC) were significantly greater in the MET group compared with the LOC group. Thus, the presence of cCAF was associated with clinical metastasis, suggesting that cCAF may complement CTC as a clinically relevant biomarker in metastatic breast cancer.

Identification of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Circulating Blood from Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer.

In this study, biological cells are sensed and characterized with surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices utilising microcavities. After tumour cells in media are transported to and trapped in microcavities, the proposed platform uses SAW interaction between the substrate and the cells to extract their mechanical stiffness based on the ultrasound velocity. Finite element method (FEM) analysis and experimental results show that output phase information is an indicator of the stiffness modulus of the trapped cells. Small populations of various types of cells such as MCF7, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, and JJ012 were characterized and characteristic moduli were estimated for each cell population. Results show that high frequency stiffness modulus is a possible biomarker for aggressiveness of the tumour and that microcavity coupled SAW devices are a good candidate for non-invasive interrogation of single cells.

A surface acoustic wave biosensor for interrogation of single tumour cells in microcavities.

We experimentally demonstrate a terahertz-bandwidth photonic differentiator employing a silicon-on-insulator directional coupler. The integrated waveguide coupler with two identical paralleled strip waveguides achieves a first-order differentiator when full energy coupling is met from one waveguide to another. The integrated waveguide coupler can offer different operation bandwidths by changing the length and gap of the strip waveguides. Due to the large 3 dB bandwidth of the directional coupler, we implement the first differentiator with an operation bandwidth of 1.25 THz. The performance of this photonic differentiator is tested using Gaussian-like pulses with a pulsewidth of 2.8 ps, 4 ps, 6 ps, 8 ps, and 10 ps, respectively. The differentiation processing errors and relative energy efficiency are also discussed. This silicon chip may have potential applications in integrated photonic computing circuits with sub-picosecond pulses.

Terahertz-bandwidth photonic temporal differentiator based on a silicon-on-isolator directional coupler.

Errata: Fourier ptychographic microscopy for filtration-based circulating tumor cell enumeration and analysis.

The cloning technique, also called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), has been successfully established and gradually applied to various mammalian species. However, the developmental rate of SCNT mammalian embryos is very low, usually at 1% to 5%, which limits the application of SCNT. Placental developmental defects are considered as the main cause of SCNT embryo development inhibition. Almost all of SCNT-derived mammalian placentas exhibit various abnormalities, such as placental hyperplasia, vascular defects and umbilical cord malformation. Mechanistically, these abnormalities result from failure of establishment of correct epigenetic modification in the trophectoderm genome, which leads to erroneous expression of important genes for placenta development-related, particularly imprinted genes. Consequently, aberrant imprinted gene expression gives rise to placental morphologic abnormalities and functional defects, therefore decreases developmental competence of cloned embryos. Currently, although numerous methods that can improve the developmental ability of SCNT-derived embryos have been reported, most of them are unable to substantially enhance the success rate of SCNT due to failure to eliminate the placental development defects. In this review, we summarize placental abnormalities and imprinted gene expression in mammalian cloning, and propose directions for the future research aiming to improve the cloning efficiency.

Zheng Ao

SRI International

Capture and Release of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells from Blood