Patent ID: 8298756
Filing Date: 2012-10-30
Classification: C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of determining whether a cancer in a tissue of a mammal is likely to metastasize, the method comprising obtaining a microneedle or capillary filled with a porous matrix comprising a chemotactic factor; inserting the microneedle or capillary into the tissue for a time sufficient for motile cells to migrate into the porous matrix; expelling the porous matrix with motile cells from the microneedle or capillary; combining the porous matrix with microbeads, where the microbeads comprise a binding partner to a surface marker present on macrophages from the tissue; removing the microbeads and bound macrophages; and obtaining a gene expression profile of motile tumor cells remaining after removal of the microbeads, wherein the gene that is profiled includes one or more of collagen type III α1, G-protein coupled receptor 26, Zip code binding protein 1, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1, Arp2/3 p16 subunit, tight junction protein 2, member Ras oncogene family, and epidermal growth factor receptor, and wherein downregulation of expression of one or more of collagen type III α1, G-protein coupled receptor 26, Zip code binding protein 1, or fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 compared to expression in non-metastatic tumor cells, and/or upregulation of expression of one or more of Arp2/3 p16 subunit, tight junction protein 2, member Ras oncogene family or epidermal growth factor receptor compared to expression in non-metastatic tumor cells indicates that the profiled tumor cells are metastatic tumor cells and that the cancer is likely to metastasize.