VyCAP has a fully equipped service laboratory with several Puncher systems to isolate single cells from stored or fresh CellSearch cartridges. The typical CTC single cell recovery ranges from 50 – 100%, which includes sample transfer from the CellSearch cartridge plus single cell Puncher isolation. Normally we isolate the single cells from our microwell chip towards 0.2ml PCR tubes. These tubes with single cells can be shipped back to you. Alternatively we perform the first WGA step, which includes a QC (VyCAP, WGA QC-50) and sent the DNA material.
The CellSearch system is the only clinically validated, FDA-cleared blood test for enumerating circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The system concentrates CTC from whole blood transfers the concentrated CTCs to a CellSearch cartridge. Next immunofluorescence images are acquired and a CTC is identified on the presence on DNA, Cytokeratin and negative for the leukocyte marker CD45 (http://www.siliconbiosystems.com). VyCAP’s Puncher system for isolation of single cells is fully compatible with the CellSearch system to isolate single CTC that have enriched and enumerated by the CellSearch system.
Workflow for isolating Circulating Tumor Cells after CellSearch enrichment
VyCAP has developed a protocol to isolate CTC from the CellSearch cartridge. CellSearch CTC enriched samples are transferred from the CellSearch cartridge to the VyCAP microwell chip.
Next the microwell chip is scanned on VyCAP’s Puncher system and CTC are isolated for DNA analysis. Image below presents fluorescence images of CTC in VyCAP’s microwells that have been transferred from a CellSearch cartridge into the microwell chip.
Today we have succesfully transferred and isolated CTC from CellSearch cartridges that were up to two years old. The table below displays the number of initial CTC found at the customers site, the number of days between this scan and the time we isolated the CTC and the number of CTC we have isolated.
CellSearch + VyCAP’s Puncher system yields excellent single cell CNV profiles
