A Novel Liquid Biopsy System

GreinDX utvikler et nytt "liquid biopsy" system som skal gjøre det mulig å samtidig analysere flere typer kreftbiomarkører fra en og samme blodprøve. Vi vil fange, identifisere, kvantifisere og analysere biomarkører som sirkulerende tumorceller (CTC), ekstracellulære vesikler (exosomer), sirkulerende tumor-DNA (ctDNA) og sirkulerende tumorproteiner (ctPrt). Dette prosjektet har fokusert på utvikling av GreinDDisc, som er en proprietær kjernekomponent i systemet. GreinDDisc er en porøs silisium disk med > 1 million mikrobrønner, utformet for å oppnå uniform fordeling av enkeltceller (CTCs) fra en væske (blod) som spinnes over disken og som gir høyt utbytte og rask identifikasjon av isolerte cellene. Det er også utviklet et to-komponent optisk system og algoritmer som gjør de mulig å monitorere væskestrømmen over disken samt å identifisere celler som er isolert. Videre er det utviklet flere proprietære små peptider med affinitet for CTC overflatemolekyler, som EpCam, og som plasseres i et monolag i bunnen av mikrobrønnene.

We have developed a complete new device that allows even distrubution of a fluid (blood) and it's constituents (cells) into > 1 million microwells. We have also developed novel peptides that serves as binding agents for specific cells on the device. The device has unique features for liquid biopsies as well as a for range of other application areas (physics/optic, chemistry, and more).

A liquid biopsy system that simultaneously assays multiple types of cancer biomarkers is an important goal within the oncology field. Such a system needs to recover, enrich, identify, and quantify key tumor related biomarkers such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), extracellular vesicles (exosomes), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor proteins (ctPrt). The scarcity of these biomarkers and the heterogeneity of cancer require that the biomarkers are captured singularly and that they can be assayed individually. GreinDX aims to develop a novel liquid biopsy system that will accomplish this goal, and that will transform the current landscape of cancer diagnostics, cancer prognosis and personalized cancer therapy. This project will focus on development of the GreinDDisc which is the core component the system, and is designed to achieve high-yield simultaneous capture and rapid identification of CTCs, exosomes, ctDNA and ctPrt. Captured CTCs can be assayed and grown within the capturing GreinDDisc device. We combine advanced micro/nanotechnology, proprietary peptide aptamer technology and cell biology, and our new concept presents several cross disciplinary R&D challenges.