MUNICH, Germany–The Advalytix product team of Olympus is initiating a collaborative study with The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to characterize circulating tumor cells in breast cancer patients.

The study combines Advalytix’s sensitive AmpliGrid molecular analysis platform, multiplex primer design, and integrated workflow to analyze expression of multiple target genes in single tumor cells.

“Using AmpliGrid, we plan to genetically fingerprint subpopulations of tumor cells with a convenient workflow,” said Dr. James Reuben, Associate Professor at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

“The goal is to develop powerful tools to monitor the response to treatment, improve early detection, and personalize treatment for our patients,” added Dr. Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at M. D. Anderson.

The Advalytix AmpliGrid single-cell molecular analysis platform allows the M. D. Anderson team to measure heterogeneity by comparing the genetic profiles of individual tumor cells. Establishing the clinical relevance of heterogeneity requires studying a large number of clinical specimens. AmpliGrid meets these throughput requirements with a simple workflow that seamlessly integrates the steps needed for each clinical specimen, namely: cell sorting, sample preparation, and PCR.

About Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women, and is the second leading cause of cancer death. A heterogeneous disease, the incidence of breast cancer has increased steadily since 1960. Each year 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed, and over 40,000 patients die from the disease (data from http://www.thebreastcancersite.com).

About Advalytix

Advalytix is Olympus’ worldwide competence centre for cell-based molecular biology, with a focus on single cell molecular diagnostics, and the miniaturization of diagnostic and biological tests for research and development. Advalytix products uniquely link imaging technologies such as microscopy with nucleic acid analysis, enabling turnkey solutions with optimized instruments and reagents.