Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) occur in the blood at very low levels - just a few cells per milliliter. Since each ml of blood contains about 5 billion erythrocytes and 10 million leukocytes, detection requires a high level of parallel processing and excellent detection statistics. Advances in the fabrication of micro-mechanics, micro-electronics (MEMS) and micro-fluidics make possible a form of flow cytometry coupled with microarray cell selection and analysis.
The BioMicroElectroMechanical Systems (BioMEMS) Resource Center of Harvard, MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital is researching ways to sort, select, and detect cells in very small quantities.
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