title: Rational Design of Materials Interface for Efficient Capture of Circulating Tumor Cells.
abstract: Originating from primary tumors and penetrating into blood circulation, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a vital role in understanding the biology of metastasis and have great potential for early cancer diagnosis, prognosis and personalized therapy. By exploiting the specific biophysical and biochemical properties of CTCs, various material interfaces have been developed for the capture and detection of CTCs from blood. However, due to the extremely low number of CTCs in peripheral blood, there exists a need to improve the efficiency and specificity of the CTC capture and detection. In this regard, a critical review of the numerous reports of advanced platforms for highly efficient and selective capture of CTCs, which have been spurred by recent advances in nanotechnology and microfabrication, is essential. This review gives an overview of unique biophysical and biochemical properties of CTCs, followed by a summary of the key material interfaces recently developed for improved CTC capture and detection, with focus on the use of microfluidics, nanostructured substrates, and miniaturized nuclear magnetic resonance-based systems. Challenges and future perspectives in the design of material interfaces for capture and detection of CTCs in clinical applications are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering Nanyang Technological University 50 Nanyang Avenue SIngapore 639798 Singapore; School of Radiation Medicine and Protection and School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X)Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions Medical College of Soochow University Suzhou Jiangsu 215123 China.
authors.forename: Yong-Qiang
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering Nanyang Technological University 50 Nanyang Avenue SIngapore 639798 Singapore.
authors.forename: Bevita K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Chandran
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering Mechanobiology Institute Centre for Advanced 2D Materials National University of Singapore 9 Engineering Drive 1 Singapore 117575 Singapore.
authors.forename: Chwee Teck
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering Nanyang Technological University 50 Nanyang Avenue SIngapore 639798 Singapore.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: cancer diagnosis; capture; circulating tumor cells; material interface; tumor metastasis