Research Projects

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood of patients with solid cancers are very important in early diagnosis and examination of possible metastasis. These are also associated with shortened survival rates. CTC screening is crucial for follow up and getting information on response to therapy. This project aims to develop a microfluidic chip to separate the CTCs from blood and combine it with an optical sensor to detect CTCs. The microfluidic chip will first capture the WBCs and the CTCs by size-based filtration. After the second filtration step, WBCs will be captured using antibody/aptamer coated pillars and the CTCs will flow towards an optical sensor for detection. The validation of the platforms would be done by using proved clinical specimens obtained from various solid cancers, such as, head and neck cancer, retinoblastoma and breast cancer.