Being able to study and analyze the DNA of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that took off from a primary tumor may help oncologists identify particular strains of cancer and therefore make more informed decisions on how to treat their patients.

Moreover, researchers studying cancer can monitor the disease progression from its early stages, hopefully leading to new therapies that can halt the disease before it develops further. To help with that, Clearbridge BioMedics out of Singapore is finally launching to market its ClearCell FX System that’s capable of capturing CTCs from a whole blood sample, a difficult trick that’s compared to an extreme version of looking for a needle in a haystack.

The ClearCell FX system is a “fully-automated” device that uses a label-free technique to filter out intact CTCs. These can then be transferred to other diagnostic devices for genetic and other analysis.

source:Clearbridge BioMedics