A beam of light to find cancer cells in the blood. This is how we can summarize the research work born from the collaboration between the Institute of Endocrinology and Experimental Oncology ‘G. Salvatore’ (Ieos) and the Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (Isasi) of Naples of the National Research Council (Cnr), which led to the development of a diagnostic imaging system that allows for the identification of cancer cells in the blood through glucose metabolism. Its use, once validated in further preclinical and clinical studies – reads a Cnr note – will facilitate the diagnosis and the choice of the most appropriate therapies to fight tumors. The results of the study have been published in ‘Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology’.
The researchers – details the note – have developed and combined new imaging technologies which, by analyzing the light that passes through the cells and their metabolism, allow the identification of tumor cells circulating in the blood (Ctc). The Ctcs, probably responsible for the spread of metastases, derive from solid tumors and circulate in the peripheral blood but, being present in minimal quantities, are difficult to identify and eliminate with currently available drugs.
“Cancer cells have the ability to take up large amounts of glucose, up to ten times faster than normal cells. We used Raman microscopy to study the uptake of glucose molecules by cancer cells and observe their It is a laser radiation system with which the molecules are illuminated, which allows us to identify them unequivocally, without using particular markings”, explains Alberto Luini, associate researcher of the Cnr-Ieos.
“We have shown that the ability of cancer cells to absorb glucose faster results in the accumulation of lipids in the form of droplets, unlike what happens, for example, with leukocytes, healthy blood cells. This gives us a reliable parameter to distinguish cancer cells from those in the blood”, explains Anna Chiara De Luca, researcher at the Cnr-Ieos.
“To detect lipid droplets in similar timescales to rapid screening, we combined Raman microscopy with polarization holographic imaging (Psdhi). This imaging technique allows us to identify cell morphology and map the birefringent properties of the droplets We were thus able to distinguish Ctc from leukocytes in a few seconds, with near 100% reliability”, reveals Maria Antonietta Ferrara, researcher at the Cnr-Isasi.
“This approach lays the foundations for the development of a new simple and universally applicable method of isolating tumor cells. Furthermore, the in vitro collection and culture of Ctcs allows us to examine their genetic and biochemical characteristics and evaluate the sensitivity to specific drugs”, says Giuseppe Coppola, Cnr-Isasi researcher. The detection and quantification of cancer cells through this combined system, created thanks to the support of the Airc Foundation for Cancer Research and the Campania Region, after validation in subsequent studies preclinical and clinical – concludes the note – can be used for screening, diagnosis, selection of therapy and monitoring of the progression of tumor pathologies and any relapses.