NanoVelcro Device for Analyzing Tumor Cells

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UCLA has recently developed a "NanoVelcro" chip that collects cancer cells as blood passes through it. It works because it is made up of nanoscale wires or fibers that are coated with protein antibodies that match proteins on the surface of cancer cells. This is where it gets its velcro name from, because the cancer cells latch onto the fibers and are trapped, acting as a liquid biopsy. UCLA can then analyze the gathered cancer cells to provide earlier information about metastases and which specific cancer type it is.

The UCLA research team has also improved the design by replacing the silicon nanowire substrate with a new polymer nanofiber-deposited substrate. These new nanowires help the device to catch the cancer cells more effectively. They have also been able to pick out a single circulating tumor cell with the use of a minaturized laser beam knife. This will help the team create in-depth characterization of the circulating tumor cells to help doctors make better decisions about which treatment to give the patient.

Using this device on circulating melanoma cells can help doctors make sure that the spreading cancer is staying genetically similar to the original tumor they came from. The device will also lead us towards understanding the genes behind cancer cells which allow them to grow at the extreme rate that they do. The NanoVelcro will help us to better personalize drug treatment of cancer and to help understand drug resistances that the cancer has developed.