Microfluidic cluster assay for patient-derived circulating tumor cells with relevance in patient prognosis

We developed a novel circulating tumor cell (CTC) cluster microfluidic assay designed to mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment for the label-free expansion of CTCs from clinically relevant blood volumes. Using specialized tapered microwells which promotes and mimics confined fluidic niche, we successfully expanded>50% of clinical blood samples (n=73) to achieve CTC clusters within two weeks. Putative CTCs may be presented throughout the cluster as single cells or aggregated microemboli, and could be detected with a panel of downstream analysis. The assay demonstrates superior performance in generating positive cultures over previously reported studies (<20%).