The majority of cancer patients die from the presence of metastatic sites. To determine if additional treatment is needed, metastasis needs to be detected at the time of surgery. Although these lesions are often too small to be detected directly, it is possible to detect and characterize the circulating tumor cells that cause them. Additionally, the characterization of these cells can be used to monitor the expression of treatment targets or the identification of new treatment targets.
By processing a much larger sample volume than the current standard test in a cost-efficient manner, we are able to vastly improve the number of circulating tumor cells that can be obtained from cancer patients. This allows for efficient in-depth characterization of the complete tumor make-up at multiple times points in a minimally invasive manner, enabling the clinical application of personalized treatments for cancer.