Developed by Dr. Majid Warkiani of UNSW’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, the system provides a non-invasive and affordable method for detecting a small number of cancer cells in a blood sample containing billions of healthy cells. The technique isolates the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that are shed from a tumor and enter the bloodstream, which then carries the cancer to a different part of the body. The method developed by Warkiani spins out the CTCs from a patient’s blood sample, separating them from healthy blood cells and making them easier to detect.
As noted by Dr. Warkiani, this cancer detection technique offers “a non-invasive ‘liquid biopsy’ that can flag the presence of any type of solid cancer – like lung, breast, bowel, and so on – without the need for surgery.” It potentially can be scaled up from filtering a small blood sample to processing a patient’s entire blood supply. The method would then filter out all the dangerous cells in a patient’s body and return only healthy cells.
Warkiani believes his technique could prolong the life of cancer patients who could be prescribed a regular regimen of cancer cleansing to ensure that all CTCs are removed. This method could revolutionize cancer treatment, providing a way for doctors to treat cancer continually, transforming the sometimes fatal disease into one that can managed over a long period of time. Warkiani’s method is currently undergoing clinical trials in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. The researchers also are partnering with Clearbridge BioMedics to commercialize the technique.
