Biosensors for the Isolation and Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in Point-of-Care Settings

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells that have been shed from tumors and circulate in the bloodstream. These cells can also be responsible for further metastases and the spread of cancer. Taking a closer look and analyzing CTCs through what has come to be known as liquid biopsy has immense potential to further researchers' understanding of cancer biology. However, CTCs are very sparse and are therefore difficult to detect and capture. To combat this issue, researchers have attempted to create devices, assays, and further techniques to successfully isolate CTCs for analysis. In this work, new and existing biosensing techniques for CTC isolation, detection, and release/detachment are discussed and compared to evaluate their efficacy, specificity, and cost. Here, we specifically aim to evaluate and identify the potential success of these techniques and devices in point-of-care (POC) settings.

Automated summary

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), shed from tumors and circulating in the bloodstream, play a crucial role in cancer metastasis. Analyzing CTCs through liquid biopsy can significantly enhance researchers' understanding of cancer biology. However, the sparsity of CTCs poses a challenge in their detection and capture. This paper discusses and compares various biosensing techniques for isolating, detecting, and releasing/detaching CTCs, aiming to evaluate their efficacy, specificity, and cost in point-of-care (POC) settings.