CTC Story

Liquid Biopsy

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CytoGen’s CTC-Liquid Biopsy Platform

CTC-based liquid biopsy is a more effective way to collect the information along with the progression of cancer
than conventional tissue biopsy requiring surgical removal of cancer tissue.

SMART BIOPSY Cell Isolator

CTC Isolator enriches intact and viable CTCs from human blood using HDM (High Density Micro-porous) chip fabricated with the proprietary technology of CytoGen. During CTC isolation, the only external force applied is gravity. Therefore it minimizes damages of CTCs in comparison to other isolation methods, including immune-magnetic interaction or microfluid -ics using a pump.

IF Stainer

Isolated CTCs are automatically stained with CTC specific antibodies. Six different biomarkers can be used for CTC identification, and the staining procedu- res are performed in a controlled temperature and humidity optimal for immuno-fluorescent staining.

Image Analyzer

CTCs are analyzed after collecting and integrating high-resolution images; those images are automa- tically analyzed by an internal program developed with our know-how. Collective data of CTC analysis can be utilized for various fields including companion diagnosis and new drug development process.

Advantages of Liquid Biopsy compared to Tissue Biopsy

Tissue biopsy
Direct collection of cells from the patient's cancerous tissue.
  • Surgical risk

  • Representation of
    limited cancer lesions

  • Time and cost consuming
    for hospitalizationafter
    the surgery

  • Limited availability for
    certain type of patients
    and tissues

Cases not possible to do a tissue biopsy
  • Only 20% of patients subjected to tissue-biopsy depending on type of cancer and location of lesions.
  • Cancer patients underwent the mass removal (stage 1 and 2)
  • The elders with high risks for general anesthesia
  • Relapsed patients necessary for another tissue biopsy
CTC based liquid biopsy
Collecting Circulating Tumor Cells from Patient Body Fluids
  • Easy collection of
    body fluids

  • Originated from
    primary lesions

  • Quick and easy
    analysis from small
    volume of blood

  • Applicable to
    most patients