Optimization of pre-analytical conditions for unbiased isolation of Circulating Tumour Cells

The detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of cancer patients has been correlated with bad prognosis and therapy resistance. however, finding CTCs in peripheral blood is challenging due to their low number. we have developed the RUBYchipTM, a microfluidic device that isolates CTCs from whole blood of patients with outstanding capture efficiency (>70%). to bring CTCs to the clinical routine it is necessary to define pre-analytical parameters to comply with new IVD regulation and assure reproducible results across laboratories. In this publication, we investigate the effect of blood sample preservation and storage on CTC isolation efficiency using the RUBYchipTM.