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Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | GENengnews.com | APRIL 1, 2016 | 33 monitor serial changes in T cell clones be- fore, during, and after therapeutic interven- tion. The team has even developed a tumor infltrating lymphocyte (TIL) assay to exam- ine clones that are attracted to tumors. Circulating Tumor Cells "Years ago, they were just interested in what was happening in the tumor," says Dan- iel Adams, senior research scientist at Creatv MicroTech. "Now people have realized that the immune system is reacting to the tumor." Scientists such as Adams have been tracking tumor cells and tumor-modifed stromal cells, as well as components of the non-adaptive im- mune system, directly within the bloodstream to examine changes that occur over time. "We can't go back in to re-biopsy the pa- tient every year, or every time there is a recur- rence," says Adams, "It's just not feasible." That is why Creatv MicroTech, with lo- cations in Maryland and New Jersey, has developed the CellSieve, a mechanical cell flter. The CellSieve, which improves on old- er technology through better polymers and engineering, isolates circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and stromal cells in order to capture them for further clinical analysis. "As a patient goes through therapy, the pa- tient's resistance builds, and the cancer recurs in different subpopulations," states Adams. "And after a few years, the original tumor mass is no longer applicable to what is grow- ing in the patient farther down the road." Although CTCs are exceedingly rare in the bloodstream, with just one or two in ev- ery 5 to 10 mL of blood, and although these cells have a very low viability, the surviving CTCs have a high prognostic value. Why do leading pharma companies place their trust in our sterilizing flters? Because lives depend on their drug Visit us at Interphex at booth #2841 to learn more Put the expertise gained from billions of doses and 50 years of technical leadership to work for you. Visit emdmillipore.com/sterile. EMD Millipore and the M logo are registered trademarks of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. © 2016 EMD Millipore Corporation, Billerica, MA USA. All rights reserved. EMD Millipore Corp. is a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany See Cancer Immunotherapy on page 34 TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE > Rosetta Genomics Expands Molecular Diagnostics Test Menu Rosetta Genomics, a developer and provider of microRNA-based and other molecular diagnostic testing services, announced the launch of what it characterized as three high- value molecular diagnostic oferings: HEME FISH (a portfolio of disease- specifc diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive test panels for various hematologic malignancies), BRAF mutation analysis for lung cancer, and NRAS mutation analysis for colon cancer. > Cell Phones Transform Molecular Diagnostic Point of Care Scientists at Caltech report that they have invented a new technique that can help bring emerging diagnostic capabilities out of laboratories and to the point of care. To address the need for a robust readout system for quantitative diagnostics, the researchers devised a novel method that uses analytical chemistries and image processing to provide explicit quantifcation of single nucleic acid molecules that can be performed by any cell phone camera. The visual readout method was validated using RNA from the hepatitis C virus and microfuidic technology called SlipChip. > GenomeNext to Support Sequence Analysis in Nationwide Cancer Study GenomeNext said that it will provide the foundational genomic platform and sequence analysis for a targeted uveal melanoma (UM) and tumor predisposition syndrome (TPDS) study co-sponsored by Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital. The company will analyze and interpret genetic samples from a cohort of UM patients who have a pronounced predisposition for hereditary cancer. n News Molecular Diagnostics