Evaluation of Nanotechnology Methods for Selective Capture of Ewing Sarcoma-derived CTCs and EVs
Mentor: Steven Jonas
My ALSF POST project focuses on leading pilot studies that apply nanotechnology-enabled microfluidic technologies being developed by our research team for noninvasive monitoring and quantification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated directly from blood samples obtained from patients with Ewing Sarcoma (ES). Data collected from patient samples using this platform will be correlated with routine clinical imaging in order to monitor responses to treatment and/or for evidence of disease progression. To accomplish this objective, we will 1) quantify tumor burden by counting circulating tumor products that express markers specific for ES (e.g., the EWS-FLI1 gene fusion) identified using reverse transcription digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR) analyses as a means of assessing treatment response, and 2) track disease burden in ES patients via these liquid biopsies over time in comparison to clinical imaging to determine whether they can be applied to monitor patients throughout the course of treatment. Patient samples are critical to the validation of this technology as a robust diagnostic and prognostic tool that we anticipate will provide an important early-warning indicator of metastatic or refractory disease in order to tailor therapeutic management, minimize late effects, and drive precision medicine approaches for patients with ES.
