Nanotube Devices for Digital Profiling

FaRhaD KhoSRaVI, BEnJamIn KIng, SESh RaI, goEtz KloEcKER, ERIc WIcKStRom, anD BalaJI PanchaPaKESan Nanotube Devices for Digital Profiling CirCulating tumor Cells (CtCs) were f irst discovered in 1869 in the blood of patients suffering from metastatic disease by an australian physician, thomas ashworth, using optical microscopy [1]. the current understanding is that these CtCs mediate the spread of cancer at distant sites, including the lungs, liver, bones, and brain. CtCs are shed by primary and metastatic cancers in the range of 1–77,200/ml [2], [3]. recent clinically approved techniques for CtC detection include Veridex from Cell search [4], the CtC chip [5], and the aDna test [6], [7], to name a few. table 1 presents a list of CtC detection methodologies and their u.s. Food and Drug administration (FDa) approval stages. although these methods are impressive, none are handheld point-ofcare devices; the test cannot be administered in the clinic, with results available in a few minutes both for CtCs and A focus on cancer biomarkers and circulating tumor cells.