title: Recent advances in nanotechnology-based detection and separation of circulating tumor cells.
abstract: Although circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood have been widely investigated as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of metastatic cancer, their inherent rarity and heterogeneity bring tremendous challenges to develop a CTC detection method with clinically significant specificity and sensitivity. With advances in nanotechnology, a series of new methods that are highly promising have emerged to enable or enhance detection and separation of CTCs from blood. In this review, we systematically categorize nanomaterials, such as gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, quantum dots, graphenes/graphene oxides, and dendrimers and stimuli-responsive polymers, used in the newly developed CTC detection methods. This will provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the CTC detection achieved through application of nanotechnology as well as the challenges that these existing technologies must overcome to be directly impactful on human health.
authors: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Ja Hye
authors: JH
authors: Myung
authors: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Kevin A
authors: KA
authors: Tam
authors: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Sin-jung
authors: SJ
authors: Park
authors: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Ashley
authors: A
authors: Cha
authors: Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA.|Integrated Science and Engineering Division, Underwood International College, Yonsei University, Incheon, South Korea.
authors: Seungpyo
authors: S
authors: Hong
mesh_terms: D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical