Name: ovarian cancer detection using photoacoustic flow cytometry
Uploaded: 2020-01-17T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Ovarian Cancer Detection Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry at JoVE.com

The authors would like to acknowledge Madeleine Howell for her help with synthesis, Matthew Chest for his help designing the flow system, and Ethan Marschall for assistance with SolidWorks.

1. Nanoparticle Synthesis and Functionalization
NOTE: Synthesis of the FA-CuS NPs is achieved using a one pot synthesis method adapted from a previously published protocol21. 
CAUTION: All synthesis should occur in a ventilated chemical fume hood.
<ol>
	<li>Prior to synthesis, filter approximately 300 mL of deionized (DI) water though a 0.2 &#181;m sterile filter.</li>
	<li>Clean a 250 mL glass round bottom flask with a detergent solution and rinse with DI water....

<ol>
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X., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Diagnostic+value+of+HE4++circulating+tumor+cells+in+patients+with+suspicious+ovarian+cancer.">Diagnostic value of HE4+ circulating tumor cells in patients with suspicious ovarian cancer.</a> Oncotarget. 9 (7), 7522-7533 (2018).</li><li>Lianidou, E., Hoon, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=9+-+Circulating+Tumor+Cells+and+Circulating+Tumor+DNA.">9 - Circulating Tumor Cells and Circulating Tumor DNA.</a> Principles and Applications of Molecular Diagnostics. , 235-281 (2018).</li><li>Gorges, T. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Circulating+tumour+cells+escape+from+EpCAM-based+detection+due+to+epithelial-to-mesenchymal+transition.">Circulating tumour cells escape from EpCAM-based detection due to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.</a> BMC cancer. 12 (1), 178 (2012).</li><li>Galanzha, E., Zharov, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Circulating+tumor+cell+detection+and+capture+by+photoacoustic+flow+cytometry+in+vivo+and+ex+vivo.">Circulating tumor cell detection and capture by photoacoustic flow cytometry in vivo and ex vivo.</a> Cancers. 5 (4), 1691-1738 (2013).</li><li>Nedosekin, D. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+noninvasive+analysis+of+graphene+nanomaterial+pharmacokinetics+using+photoacoustic+flow+cytometry.">In vivo noninvasive analysis of graphene nanomaterial pharmacokinetics using photoacoustic flow cytometry.</a> Journal of Applied Toxicology. 37 (11), 1297-1304 (2017).</li><li>Zharov, V. P., Galanzha, E. I., Kim, J., Khlebtsov, N. G., Tuchin, V. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Photoacoustic+flow+cytometry:+principle+and+application+for+real-time+detection+of+circulating+single+nanoparticles,+pathogens,+and+contrast+dyes+in+vivo.">Photoacoustic flow cytometry: principle and application for real-time detection of circulating single nanoparticles, pathogens, and contrast dyes in vivo.</a> Journal of Biomedical Optic. 12 (5), 1-14 (2007).</li><li>Miranda, C., Sampath Kumar, S., Muthuswamy, J., Smith, B. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Photoacoustic+micropipette.">Photoacoustic micropipette.</a> Applied Physics Letters. 113 (26), 264103 (2018).</li><li>Miranda, C., Barkley, J., Smith, B. 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M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Capture+of+circulating+tumor+cells+using+photoacoustic+flowmetry+and+two+phase+flow.">Capture of circulating tumor cells using photoacoustic flowmetry and two phase flow.</a> Journal of Biomedical Optics. 17 (6), 061221 (2012).</li><li>Cai, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Photoacoustic+flow+cytometry+for+single+sickle+cell+detection+in+vitro+and+in+vivo.">Photoacoustic flow cytometry for single sickle cell detection in vitro and in vivo.</a> Analytical Cellular Pathology. 2016, 11 (2016).</li><li>Galanzha, E. I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+magnetic+enrichment,+photoacoustic+diagnosis,+and+photothermal+purging+of+infected+blood+using+multifunctional+gold+and+magnetic+nanoparticles.">In vivo magnetic enrichment, photoacoustic diagnosis, and photothermal purging of infected blood using multifunctional gold and magnetic nanoparticles.</a> PLoS One. 7 (9), e45557 (2012).</li><li>Hannah, A., Luke, G., Wilson, K., Homan, K., Emelianov, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Indocyanine+green-loaded+photoacoustic+nanodroplets:+dual+contrast+nanoconstructs+for+enhanced+photoacoustic+and+ultrasound+imaging.">Indocyanine green-loaded photoacoustic nanodroplets: dual contrast nanoconstructs for enhanced photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging.</a> ACS Nano. 8 (1), 250-259 (2013).</li><li>Kim, S. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Near-infrared+plasmonic+assemblies+of+gold+nanoparticles+with+multimodal+function+for+targeted+cancer+theragnosis.">Near-infrared plasmonic assemblies of gold nanoparticles with multimodal function for targeted cancer theragnosis.</a> Scientific Reports. 7 (1), 17327 (2017).</li><li>Ku, G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Copper+sulfide+nanoparticles+as+a+new+class+of+photoacoustic+contrast+agent+for+deep+tissue+imaging+at+1064+nm.">Copper sulfide nanoparticles as a new class of photoacoustic contrast agent for deep tissue imaging at 1064 nm.</a> ACS Nano. 6 (8), 7489-7496 (2012).</li><li>Parker, N., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Folate+receptor+expression+in+carcinomas+and+normal+tissues+determined+by+a+quantitative+radioligand+binding+assay.">Folate receptor expression in carcinomas and normal tissues determined by a quantitative radioligand binding assay.</a> Analytical Biochemistry. 338 (2), 284-293 (2005).</li><li>Cheung, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Targeting+folate+receptor+alpha+for+cancer+treatment.">Targeting folate receptor alpha for cancer treatment.</a> Oncotarget. 7 (32), 52553 (2016).</li><li>Zhou, M., Song, S., Zhao, J., Tian, M., Li, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Theranostic+CuS+nanoparticles+targeting+folate+receptors+for+PET+image-guided+photothermal+therapy.">Theranostic CuS nanoparticles targeting folate receptors for PET image-guided photothermal therapy.</a> Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 3 (46), 8939-8948 (2015).</li><li>Lusk, J. F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Photoacoustic+Flow+System+for+the+Detection+of+Ovarian+Circulating+Tumor+Cells+Utilizing+Copper+Sulfide+Nanoparticles.">Photoacoustic Flow System for the Detection of Ovarian Circulating Tumor Cells Utilizing Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles.</a> ACS Biomaterials Science &amp; Engineering. 5 (3), 1553-1560 (2019).</li><li>Lee, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Predictive+value+of+circulating+tumor+cells+(CTCs)+captured+by+microfluidic+device+in+patients+with+epithelial+ovarian+cancer.">Predictive value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) captured by microfluidic device in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.</a> Gynecologic Oncology. 145 (2), 361-365 (2017).</li><li>Blassl, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Gene+expression+profiling+of+single+circulating+tumor+cells+in+ovarian+cancer-Establishment+of+a+multi-marker+gene+panel.">Gene expression profiling of single circulating tumor cells in ovarian cancer-Establishment of a multi-marker gene panel.</a> Molecular Oncology. 10 (7), 1030-1042 (2016).</li><li>Lu, Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+and+characterization+of+living+circulating+tumor+cells+in+patients+by+immunomagnetic+negative+enrichment+coupled+with+flow+cytometry.">Isolation and characterization of living circulating tumor cells in patients by immunomagnetic negative enrichment coupled with flow cytometry.</a> Cancer. 121 (17), 3036-3045 (2015).</li><li>Bhattacharyya, K., Goldschmidt, B. S., Viator, J. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Detection+and+capture+of+breast+cancer+cells+with+photoacoustic+flow+cytometry.">Detection and capture of breast cancer cells with photoacoustic flow cytometry.</a> Journal of Biomedical Optics. 21 (8), 087007 (2016).</li><li>Zharov, V. P., Galanzha, E. I., Shashkov, E. V., Khlebtsov, N. G., Tuchin, V. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+photoacoustic+flow+cytometry+for+monitoring+of+circulating+single+cancer+cells+and+contrast+agents.">In vivo photoacoustic flow cytometry for monitoring of circulating single cancer cells and contrast agents.</a> Optics Letters. 31 (24), 3623-3625 (2006).</li><li>Galanzha, E. I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+liquid+biopsy+using+Cytophone+platform+for+photoacoustic+detection+of+circulating+tumor+cells+in+patients+with+melanoma.">In vivo liquid biopsy using Cytophone platform for photoacoustic detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with melanoma.</a> Science Translational Medicine. 11 (496), eaat5857 (2019).</li><li>Cai, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+photoacoustic+flow+cytometry+for+early+malaria+diagnosis.">In vivo photoacoustic flow cytometry for early malaria diagnosis.</a> Cytometry Part A. 89 (6), 531-542 (2016).</li><li>Galanzha, E. 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This protocol is a straightforward method for the detection of ovarian CTCs utilizing PAFC and a targeted CuS contrast agent. Many methods have been explored for the detection of ovarian CTCs, including microfluidic devices, RT-PCR, and fluorescence flow cytometry23,24,25. These range in complexity, cost, and accuracy, limiting their effectiveness in clinical settings. PAFC introduces several advantages over these traditional me...

Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest gynecological malignancies and resulted in an estimated 184,800 deaths worldwide in 20181. Multiple studies have shown the correlation between ovarian cancer progression (i.e., metastasis) and the presence of CTCs2,3,4. The most common method for detection and isolation of CTCs utilizes the Cellsearch system, which targets the EpCam receptor5. EpCam expression, however, is downregulated in epithelial to mesenchymal transition, which has been implicated in cancer metastasis6. Despite advances, current clinical technologies still suffer from low accuracy, high cost, and complexity. Due to these drawbacks, new technologies for the discovery and enumeration of ovarian CTCs has become an important area for research.
Recently, PAFC emerged as an effective method for the noninvasive detection of cancer cells, analysis of nanomaterials, and identification of bacteria7,8,9. PAFC differs from traditional fluorescence flow cytometry by detecting analytes in flow by utilizing photoacoustics. The photoacoustic effect is generated when laser light is absorbed by a material that causes thermoelastic expansion, producing an acoustic wave that can be detected by an ultrasound transducer10,11. Advantages of PAFC over traditional flow cytometry methods include simplicity, ease of translation to clinical settings, and the detection of CTCs at unprecedented depths in patient samples12,13. Recent studies have utilized PAFC systems for the detection of cells using endogenous and exogenous contrast14,15. Near infrared (NIR) light-absorbing contrast agents such as indocyanine green dye, and metal NPs (e.g., gold and CuS) have been used for the selective labeling of cells and tissues in combination with photoacoustic imaging16,17,18. Due to the improved penetration depth of NIR light within biological tissues, photoacoustic detection of absorbers can be performed at greater depths for clinical applications. Because of its great potential for use in the clinic, the combination of targeted NIR contrast agents with PAFC has generated considerable interest for the detection of CTCs.
PAFC in combination with targeted contrast agents provides an improved approach for high-throughput analysis of patient samples with enhanced accuracy and targeted detection of CTCs. One of the principal detection strategies for CTCs is the specific targeting of membrane proteins present on the cell of interest. One notable characteristic of ovarian CTCs is the overexpression of folate receptors located on their outer membrane19. Folate receptor targeting is an ideal strategy for the identification of ovarian CTCs in blood because endogenous cells, which have higher expression of folic acid receptors, are generally luminal and have limited exposure to the bloodstream20. Copper sulfide NPs (CuS NPs) have recently been recognized for their ability to target folate receptors expressed on cancerous cells21. Combined with their biocompatibility, ease of synthesis, and absorption deep in the NIR, these NP contrast agents make an ideal targeting strategy for the detection of ovarian CTCs utilizing PAFC.
This work describes the preparation of FA-CuS NPs and their use for the detection of ovarian cancer cells in a photoacoustic flow system. CuS NPs are modified with folic acid to specifically target ovarian CTCs and emit a photoacoustic signal when stimulated with a 1,053 nm laser. The results indicate the successful detection of ovarian cancer cells incubated with these photoacoustic contrast agents within the PAFC system. These results show detection of ovarian cancer cells down to concentrations of 1 cell/&#181;L, and fluorescence microscopy confirms successful uptake of these particles by SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells22. This work provides a detailed description of the FA-CuS NPs synthesis, preparation of samples for fluorescence microscopy, construction of the photoacoustic flow system, and the photoacoustic detection of ovarian cancer cells. The presented method shows successful identification of ovarian CTCs in flow utilizing FA-CuS NPs. Future work will focus on the clinical application of this technology towards the early detection of ovarian cancer metastasis.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>0.025% Trypsin With EDTA</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>25-053-Cl</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.2 &#181;m 1000 mL Vacuum Filtration Unit</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>10040-440</td>
			<td>For filtering larger volumes of DI water.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>0.2 &#181;m sterile syringe filter</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>28145-477</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3D Printed Tank</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Custom-made</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acquisition Card</td>
			<td>National Instruments</td>
			<td>PXIe-5170R</td>
			<td>250 MS/s, 8-Channel, 14-bit</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Alconox</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>242985-1.8KG</td>
			<td>Detergent used for cleaning glassware.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Amicon Ultra-15 Centrifugal Filters</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>UFC903024</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Amicon Ultra-4 Centrifugal Filters</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>UFC803024</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bright-Line Hematocytometer</td>
			<td>Hausser Scientific</td>
			<td>1492</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Copper(II) Chloride</td>
			<td>ACROS ORGANICS</td>
			<td>206532500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Coupling Objective</td>
			<td>Thorlabs</td>
			<td>LMH-10x-532</td>
			<td>To couple pulsed light to optical fiber.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Coupling Stage</td>
			<td>Newport</td>
			<td>F-91-C1-T</td>
			<td>Stage for coupling pulsed light to objective. Holds FP-1A and LMH-10x-532</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CPX Series Digital Ultrasonic Cleaning Bath</td>
			<td>Fisherbrand</td>
			<td>Model CPX3800</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Data Acquisition software</td>
			<td>National Instruments</td>
			<td>NI LabVIEW 2017 (32-bit)</td>
			<td>LabVIEW used to synchronize laser pulses with data acquisition.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Data Processing Software</td>
			<td>Mathworks</td>
			<td>Matlab R2016a</td>
			<td>Reconstructions and graphs produced using Matlab software.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FBS</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>F2442-500ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fiber Chuck</td>
			<td>Newport</td>
			<td>FPH-DJ</td>
			<td>Used to hold the bare fiber.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fiber Coupler</td>
			<td>Newport</td>
			<td>FP-1A</td>
			<td>3-Axis stage for positioning fiber chuck and optical fiber at the focus of the objective.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Folic Acid</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>F7876-10G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Formvar Coated TEM Grids</td>
			<td>Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td>FCF300-CU-SB</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Masterflex Tubing</td>
			<td>Cole Parmer</td>
			<td>EW-96420-14</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>McCoy&#39;s 5A Medium</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>30-2007</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Norm-Ject 10 mL Syringes</td>
			<td>HENKE SASS WOLF</td>
			<td>4100-X00V0</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Optical Fiber</td>
			<td>Thorlabs</td>
			<td>FG550LEC</td>
			<td>Used to expose sample to pulsed light.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PBS</td>
			<td>Alfa Aesar</td>
			<td>J62036</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin Streptomycin</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pulsed Laser</td>
			<td>RPMC Lasers Inc</td>
			<td>Quantus-Q1D-1053</td>
			<td>Pulsed laser source with specifications 1053 nm, 8 ns pulse, 10 Hz maximum.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pulser/Receiver</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>5077PR</td>
			<td>Receives, filters, and amplifies photoacoustic signals. Operated with 59 dB Gain.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Quartz Capillary Tube</td>
			<td>Sutter Instrument</td>
			<td>QF150-75-10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RPMI Midum 1640 (1X) Folic Acid Free</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>27016-021</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Silicone</td>
			<td>Momentive Performance Materials, Inc.</td>
			<td>GE284</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SKOV-3 Cells</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>HTB-77</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Bicarbonate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>S5761</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Carbonate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>S7795-500G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Hydroxide Beads</td>
			<td>BDH</td>
			<td>BDH9292-500G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Sulfide Nonahydrate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>431648-50G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Syringe Pumps</td>
			<td>New Era Pump Systems Inc</td>
			<td>DUAL-1000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Texas Red-X-Succinimydl ester</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>1949071</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transducer</td>
			<td>Olynmpus</td>
			<td>V214-BB-RM</td>
			<td>Ultrasound detector with central frequency of 50 MHz and -6 dB fractional bandwidth of 82%.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypan Blue Solution .4%</td>
			<td>Amresco</td>
			<td>K940-100ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tween 20</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P7949-100ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultrasound Gel</td>
			<td>Parker Laboratories Inc.</td>
			<td>Aquasonic 100</td>
			<td>Ultrasound gel for transducer coupling</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

ovarian cancer detection using photoacoustic flow cytometry

Many studies suggest that the enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may show promise as a prognostic tool for ovarian cancer. Current strategies for the detection of CTCs include flow cytometry, microfluidic devices, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Despite recent advances, methods for the detection of early ovarian cancer metastasis still lack the sensitivity and specificity required for clinical translation. Here, a novel method is presented for the detection of ovarian circulating tumor cells by photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) utilizing a custom three dimensional (3D) printed system, including a flow chamber and syringe pump. This method utilizes folic acid-capped copper sulfide nanoparticles (FA-CuS NPs) to target SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells by PAFC. This work demonstrates the affinity of these contrast agents for ovarian cancer cells. The results show NP characterization, PAFC detection, and NP uptake by fluorescence microscopy, thus demonstrating the potential of this novel system to detect ovarian CTCs at physiologically relevant concentrations.

Figure 1A shows a typical TEM image of the synthesized nanoparticles. The average size of the typical nanoparticle is approximately 8.6 nm &#177; 2.5 nm. Nanoparticle measuring was performed in ImageJ. Threshold and watershed functions were applied to separate the particles for measurement. The horizontal and vertical diameters of each particle were measured perpendicular to each other and further averaged. For DLS, a representative measureme...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Ovarian Cancer Detection Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry at JoVE.com

Ovarian Cancer Detection Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry

A protocol is presented to detect circulating ovarian tumor cells utilizing a custom-made photoacoustic flow system and targeted folic acid-capped copper sulfide nanoparticles.

Many studies suggest that the enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may show promise as a prognostic tool for ovarian cancer. Current strategies ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

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