Small. 2018 Aug;14(32):e1801131. doi: 10.1002/smll.201801131. Epub 2018 Jul 3.
Circulating Tumor Cell Phenotyping via High-Throughput Acoustic Separation.
Wu M1, Huang PH1, Zhang R2, Mao Z2, Chen C1, Kemeny G3, Li P4, Lee AV5, Gyanchandani R5, Armstrong AJ3, Dao M6, Suresh S7, Huang TJ1.
Abstract
The study of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) offers pathways to develop new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that benefit cancer treatments. In order to fully exploit and interpret the information provided by CTCs, the development of a platform is reported that integrates acoustics and microfluidics to isolate rare CTCs from peripheral blood in high throughput while preserving their structural, biological, and functional integrity. Cancer cells are first isolated from leukocytes with a throughput of 7.5 mL h-1 , achieving a recovery rate of at least 86% while maintaining the cells’ ability to proliferate. High-throughput acoustic separation enables statistical analysis of isolated CTCs from prostate cancer patients to be performed to determine their size distribution and phenotypic heterogeneity for a range of biomarkers, including the visualization of CTCs with a loss of expression for the prostate specific membrane antigen. The method also enables the isolation of even rarer, but clinically important, CTC clusters.
Steffi Oesterreich, PhD, has been appointed as the new Women’s Cancer Research Center (WCRC) Co-Director, replacing Adrian Lee, PhD, who has stepped down to focus on his appointment as Director of the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC Institute of Precision Medicine. The WCRC is a collaboration of Hillman and the Magee-Womens Research Institute that was first established in 2010, with Dr. Oesterreich as the WCRC Director of Education. Dr. Oesterreich will now work closely with WCRC Co-Director Ronald Buckanovich, MD, PhD, to sustain and grow the WCRC as a premier center for basic, translational, and clinical research in women’s cancers.
A Professor and Vice-Chair of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology in the School of Medicine, Dr. Oesterreich brings a wealth of leadership experience and breast cancer expertise to this position. Indeed, the Susan G. Komen Foundation selected her, together with other international leaders in the breast cancer field, to serve as a Komen Scholar and Advisor. Dr. Oesterreich previously served as the Chair of the NIH Tumor Cell Biology Study Section, and her research is currently funded by the National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense, and Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, in addition to Komen.
Congratulations Dr. Oesterreich on your new role as Co-Director of the WCRC and thank you Dr. Lee for your 8 years of service to the WCRC.
Congratulations Dr. Ahmed Basudan on your graduation from the Graduate School of Public Health!
Click the link below for local news coverage of Dr. Oesterreich’s award.
Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition Awards Two Researchers $100K In Grants
Congratulations on your successful defense and final examination!
EMILY ANN BOSSART, PHD
“Investigation of EMT-like phenotypes in established and novel model systems of invasive lobular breast cancer”
Dr. Oesterreich presented our lab’s work on unique biology if ILC in a minisymposium on “LOBULAR BREAST CANCER – IS IT A DIFFERENT DISEASE?”.
Dr. Oesterreich enjoyed the chance to meet with breast cancer advocates from the Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance (LBCA) at SABCS. They also showed an outstanding poster!
In addition, our own Kevin Levine presented his work on FGFR4 in a poster discussion at the 2017 SABCS.
Dr. Oesterreich hosted a Susan G. Komen for the Cure fundraiser, “Plant Night”, and raised over one thousand dollars!
Halloween with the Women’s Cancer Research Center.
And Renee entered a great pink pumpkin to the Magee pumpkin decorating contest on behalf of the WCRC. Thank you to Renee for decorating the beautiful pumpkin for breast cancer awareness month! Good Luck in the competition!
