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At Fluxion, we’re passionate about delivering cell-based and cell-free solutions that facilitate the transformation of research discoveries into new ways to diagnose and treat patients. By characterizing molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease, Fluxion’s platforms help bridge the translational medicine gap, enabling rapid advances in disease research, drug discovery, and the development of diagnostic tests.

Metastasis

and CTCs in the vasculature

Metastasis is a destructive oncological process that allows for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to enter the bloodstream and begin tumor growth in another area of the body. The mechanisms of metastasis are commonly studied, yet there are many intricacies of the process that remain misunderstood. To eliminate the possibility of extraneous variables, analyzing metastatic cancers in a controlled environment is necessary.

The BioFlux system mimics the physiological conditions of the vasculature, making it the ideal tool for oncological research. With the ability to control shear flow, temperature, and pressure, the system can replicate how cancer cells behave during metastasis. The system can be used for several other oncological analyses, including cancer cell behavior during EMT and homing, screening different types of tumor cells for invasive phenotypes, screening compounds to inhibit or otherwise affect invasion and or angiogenesis, or to study chemotaxis of circulating cells in response to stimuli or inhibition.

metastasis+1

(A) Percentage of PC-R1 FT7 rolling cells that breached HUVEC stimulated with IL-1β was measured over time under shear flow. (B) breached PC-R1 FT7 cells (green) within HUVEC monolayers were imaged with a confocal fluorescent microscope (Dimitroff et al., 2013).

metastasis+2

MCF-7 cells (alone and LPS-treated THP-1) adherent to HUVEC layers under shear flow (Khismatullin et al., 2014).

Key BioFlux Advantages For Metastasis Studies

  • Examine metastasized cell adhesion on endothelial monolayers and protein coatings.

  • Easily wash away unbound tumor cells with shear flow

  • Microfluidic design allows for each experiment to utilize as little as 100 µl of patient blood

  • Utilize and discover novel compounds to combat cancer cell adherence, transmigration, and more.

  • Couple BioFlux analysis with IsoFlux CTC isolation technology

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