A beam of light to find cancer cells in the blood: this is the basis of the study born from the collaboration between the Ieos and Isasi institutes of the Cnr, the results of which have been published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, which has led to the development of a diagnostic imaging system that allows the identification of tumor cells in the blood through glucose metabolism.
Its use, once validated in further preclinical and clinical studies, will facilitate the diagnosis and the choice of the most appropriate therapies to fight tumours. But let’s go in order.
The light to study cancer cells: how it works
A group of researchers from the National Research Council (Cnr) has developed and combined new imaging technologies which, analyzing the light that crosses the cells and their metabolism, they allow the identification of the 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. The researchers involved in the research, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, belong to the Institute of Endocrinology and Experimental Oncology ‘G. Salvatore’ (Cnr-Ieos) and at the Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (Cnr-Isasi) of Naples.
“Cancer cells have the ability to assimilate large amounts of glucose, up to ten times faster than normal cells. We used Raman microscopy to study the uptake of glucose molecules by tumor cells and observe their metabolism. It is a laser radiation system with which the molecules are illuminated, which allows us to identify them unambiguously, without using particular markings”explains Alberto Luini, associate researcher of the Cnr-Ieos.
“We have shown that the ability of tumor cells to absorb glucose more quickly leads to the accumulation of lipids in the form of droplets, unlike what happens, for example, with leukocytes, healthy blood cells. This provides us with a reliable parameter for distinguishing cancer cells from blood cells”, explains Anna Chiara De Luca, researcher of the Cnr-Ieos.
“To detect lipid droplets in similar timescales to a rapid screen, we combined Raman microscopy with polarization holographic imaging (PSDHI). This imaging technique allows to identify the morphology of the cells and to map the birefringent properties of the lipid droplets. We were thus able to distinguish CTCs from leukocytes in a few seconds, with near 100% reliability”. reveals Maria Antonietta Ferrara, researcher of the Cnr-Isasi.
“This approach lays the foundations for the development of a new simple and universally applicable tumor cell isolation method. Furthermore, the collection and in vitro culture of CTCs allows us to examine their genetic and biochemical characteristics and evaluate their sensitivity to specific drugs”, says Giuseppe Coppola, a researcher at the Cnr-Isasi.
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 preclinical and clinical studies, can be used for screening, diagnosis, the selection of the therapy and the monitoring of the progression of the tumor pathologies and of any recurrences.