Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2020-2021)

The vast majority of cancer deaths are caused by metastasis, or the spread of cancer fromx000D
one part of the body to another. In order for cancer to spread, cells known as circulating tumorx000D
cells, must detach from a tumor, circulate in the bloodstream, and reattach to a differentx000D
tissue. Therefore, circulating tumor cells are considered to be the agents of metastasis thatx000D
could potentially be used to evaluate the genetic basis of each patients cancer and how theyx000D
might respond to potential treatments. Genetic analysis of circulating tumor cells is currentlyx000D
limited by the extreme rarity of these cells in the bloodstream, as well as by the differencesx000D
across individual cells. This project aims to address this challenge by developing a technologyx000D
to rapidly isolate individual circulating tumor cells for genome sequencing. We will then testx000D
this technology by isolating and sequencing single circulating tumor cells from patients withx000D
advanced prostate cancer who are currently enrolled in related clinical studies. The genomex000D
sequence from single circulating tumor cells will then be compared with other available data inx000D
order to determine its value in diagnosis and treatment. Genome sequencing is already beingx000D
used in some cancers to predict how patients will respond to certain drugs. This project willx000D
develop a technology to isolate and sequence cells that are most relevant to metastasis,x000D
which will give physicians significantly better information to evaluate each patients disease inx000D
order to devise a personalized treatment plan.