South Korean researchers have developed a technology that can verify anticancer drug efficacy and detect cancer recurrence by flowing blood through microchannels on a chip. The breakthrough is expected to enable early detection of micro-recurrences that imaging tests such as MRI or CT scans often miss.
A research team led by Professor Kang Ju-heon at UNIST's Department of Biomedical Engineering announced on the 3rd that they have developed a chip-based technology capable of monitoring cancer recurrence and anticancer treatment response by analyzing changes in white blood cell adhesion in blood.
Unlike conventional liquid biopsy technologies that directly search for cancer cells in blood, this technology is based on the principle that inflammatory substances from tumor tissue increase the adhesion of patient white blood cells. The research team explained that they "utilized the immune response in which inflammatory substances released by tumor tissue activate 'cell adhesion molecule receptors' on the white blood cell surface."
The process involves flowing blood into a chip containing microchannels thinner than a human hair, then using an automated program to count the white blood cells attached to the channels. The inside of the microchannels is coated with special proteins that can bind to these receptors, allowing white blood cells with activated receptors to adhere well to the channel surface.
Experimental results showed that white blood cells from mice with progressing breast cancer adhered to the chip's inner walls up to 40 times more than those from healthy mice.
The newly developed technology is expected to be used for immediately verifying anticancer drug efficacy during treatment stages and real-time monitoring of post-surgical recurrence.
When an effective anticancer drug (doxorubicin) was administered, tumor growth was suppressed while white blood cell adhesion frequency immediately decreased. In contrast, when ineffective drugs were administered, the high adhesion state was maintained.
After primary tumor tissue was surgically removed, researchers also observed that white blood cell adhesion, which had decreased, rose again at the stage when micro-metastasis—undetectable by visual examination or imaging diagnostics—began. This suggests it could serve as an indicator for early tracking of cancer recurrence and metastasis potential.
Professor Kang Ju-heon explained, "This can help capture early metastasis or recurrence that is difficult to detect through imaging diagnostics via the patient's white blood cell immune response, and immediately verify treatment response after anticancer drug administration, reducing unnecessary treatment and helping select optimal therapeutics suited to each patient."
The research findings were published on the 1st of this month in 'Biosensors and Bioelectronics,' an international academic journal published by Elsevier. The study was supported by UNIST, the National Research Foundation of Korea's Basic Research Laboratory Support Program, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Cross-Ministry Regenerative Medicine Technology Development Project, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.