A platform for selective immuno-capture of cancer cells from urine

Urothelial cancers are amongst the 10 most common types of cancer and represent a major health problem worldwide. Current urinary diagnostic tests for urothelial cancer are expensive and have limited sensitivity and specificity. In this work, proofs of concept for a selective cancer cell capture platform are presented with the aim to achieve the first generation of specific urinary tests for the detection of cancer cells in urine specimen. The unique reactivity of plasma deposited polyoxazoline was used to covalently bind cancer specific antibodies in microchannels. Cancer cells dispersed in patient urine were successfully captured with up to 99% selectivity and 100% sensitivity over a wide range of cell concentrations. The streamlined two steps preparation process of the capture platform represents an important advance in medical diagnostics, with broader potential applications.