NanoVelcro Rare-Cell Assays for Detection and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells

Hsian-Rong Tseng, Ph.D.
Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, DGSOM at UCLA

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells shredded from either a primary tumor or a metastatic site and circulate in the blood as the potential cellular origin of metastasis. By detecting and analyzing CTCs, we will be able to noninvasively monitor disease progression in individual cancer patients and obtain insightful information for assessing disease status, thus realizing the concept of “tumor liquid biopsy”. Over the past decade, our research team at UCLA pioneered a unique concept of “NanoVelcro” cell-affinity substrates, in which CTC capture agent-coated nanostructured substrates were utilized to immobilize CTCs with remarkable efficiency. Five generations of NanoVelcro CTC assays have been developed over the past decade for a variety of clinical utilities, including CTC enumeration for prognosis and staging, single-CTC mutational analysis for tracking tumor origin, and CTC-based molecular analysis for treatment monitoring. In this presentation, I will summarize the development of the new generations of NanoVelcro CTC assays and the clinical applications of these new diagnostic devices.

About the Speaker

Dr. Tseng was trained as a synthetic organic chemist and is currently a Professor in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His research team has been working on the development of biomimetic nanomaterials for clinical applications in the field of circulating tumor biomarkers.

Recent Publications:
1. M. Lin, J.-F. Chen, Y.-T. Lu, Y. Zhang, J. Song, S. Hou, Z. Ke, H.-R. Tseng (2014) Nanostructures-Embedded Microchips for Detection, Isolation, and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells, Acc. Chem. Res. 47: 2941-2950. PMCID: PMC4204926.
2. J.-F. Chen, Y. Zhu, Y.-T. Lu, E. Hodara, S. Hou, V. G. Agopian, J. S. Tomlinson, E. M. Posadas, H.-R. Tseng (2016) Clinical Applications of NanoVelcro Rare-Cell Assays for Detection and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells, Theranostics, 6(9): 1425-1439. PMCID: PMC4924510.
3. Y.J. Jan, J.-F. Chen, Y. Zhu, Y.-T. Lu, S.H. Chen, H. Chung, M. Smalley, Y.-W. Huang, Ji. Dong, L.-C. Chen, H.-H. Yu, J.S. Tomlinson, Hou, V. G. Agopian, E. M. Posadas, H.-R. Tseng (2018) NanoVelcro Rare-Cell Assays for Detection and Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells, Adv. Drug Delivery Rev. 125: 78-93. PMCID: PMC5993593.