Fluxion Biosciences Introduces the IsoFlux™ EMT Enrichment Kit for More Comprehensive Circulating Tumor Cell Analysis

Fluxion Biosciences announced the introduction of the IsoFlux™ EMT Enrichment Kit for the isolation of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples. The new kit works with the IsoFlux System instrument and specifically targets cells with both epithelial and mesenchymal properties. This represents a breakthrough in liquid biopsy approaches since the mesenchymal properties have typically not been addressed in other capture systems. The IsoFlux EMT Enrichment Kits are available for immediate use through the IsoFlux Discovery Services program, with kit shipments to IsoFlux customers starting in the third quarter of 2015.

CTCs enable access to tumor material without the need for a surgical biopsy. They possess the key advantage of being able to be preferentially enriched over the background blood cells, making it possible to analyze them using molecular methods such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Tumor cell recovery is linked to the capture antibodies chosen in the enrichment process. Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecular (EpCAM) antibodies have long been the default capture marker, but it is understood now that CTCs lose their EpCAM expression as they transition to a mesenchymal state. The IsoFlux EMT Enrichment Kit incorporates the EpCAM antibody as well as a proprietary cocktail of EMT-specific antibodies to increase the overall capture of all types of CTCs. The initial analytical and clinical validation demonstrated notable increase in tumor cell capture.

“For several years now, the leading cancer scientists across the world have presented research on the dynamic changes in surface marker expression of cancer cells,” said Michael Schwartz, VP of Marketing at Fluxion. “We developed the IsoFlux EMT Enrichment Kit to provide a more comprehensive, turnkey solution for CTC capture that covers both epithelial and mesenchymal presentations.”

Like the other IsoFlux enrichment kits, the IsoFlux EMT Enrichment Kit includes the IsoFlux microfluidic cartridges, magnetic beads, running reagents, and proprietary cocktail of capture antibodies.