SOLUTION

Current systems that provide access to circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood require a compromise on the quality of isolated cells because they use non-specific criteria (size-based methods) or are only valid for certain types of cells, also affecting their integrity (antibodies- based methods). Moreover, these processes not always enable the isolation of single cells, and when this is possible, it is burdened by considerable costs and time.

In contrast to these limitations, the system developed by Lighthouse Biotech precisely meets the need to obtain single CTCs without compromise in an effective and sustainable manner at any moment of the disease, thus enabling cutting-edge analysis and applications with viable cells.

Lighthouse Biotech has developed a laboratory tool to recognize and isolate the rare tumor cells present in the blood.

It is a significant current challenge because the cells to be found are extremely rare and continuously changing in appearance.

How our system was created

We asked ourselves: what do tumor cells have in common that distinguishes them from healthy ones?
One of the answers to this question lies in a scientific fact known for almost a century: the characteristic of tumor cells to produce an acidic surrounding environment.

This peculiarity is common to different types of tumors, and the degree of acidity increases with their aggressiveness.

The process developed by Lighthouse Biotech is based on the altered metabolic activity of tumor cells that allows the recognition and isolation of each single and viable CTC.

By focusing on how CTCs metabolize nutrients, Lighthouse Biotech makes a radical change in liquid biopsy techniques, moving from a selection criterion based on the appearance of tumor cells to one based on their intrinsic functioning.

Using microfluidic techniques, the cells present in a normal blood sample are each encapsulated in a single droplet.

After a few minutes, the cells metabolize the nutrients and produce waste, which diffuses into the droplet.

The tumor cell is distinguished from others because it produces acidic waste and can therefore be recognized by an optical system because a dye indicates the pH of the droplet, different from the others.

Once the acidic droplet is identified, an electrical impulse can extract the tumor cell from the droplet and isolate it in real-time in a container for analysis.

This is the heart of our technology, patented in the EU, US, CN, JP.

How it works

We recognize CTCs based on their altered metabolism.

The instrument provides a grid of single cells in individual wells, the number of these cells, the metabolic value, and the image of each cell.

A common blood draw is performed on the patient.

Each cell is encapsulated in a micro-droplet.

The cells are incubated to allow them to metabolize.

An optical system measures the pH of the droplets IDENTIFIES AND ISOLATES the acidic ones (tumoral).

The tumor cells that come out are single, viable, and unmarked.

The cells can be analyzed individually or used in culture and animal models.

Competitive Advantage

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Top quality of biological material

Top quality of biological material: The extracted cells are pure, viable, unaltered, and
individually isolated.

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High efficiency

High efficiency: Automated system, with a significant reduction in time and costs

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Exclusive data on the metabolism of cancer cells

Exclusive data on the metabolism of cancer cells: An indicator of their aggressiveness.

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Impartiality

Impartiality: Results not subject to human error of interpretation

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