Quantitative classification of tumor cell morphological changes on selectively functionalized biochips

Proteomics information of cancer has shown that abnormalities at the levels of growth factors, receptors, intracellular mediators and transcription factors play major role in the disease progression. We report a directly quantifiable approach to measure tumor cell behavior on functionalized chips. The chips were functionalized with aptamer molecules that were selective against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a commonly overexpressed cancer biomarker. The chip-bound aptamer selectively isolated tumor cells from cell mixture samples. The isolated cells were thus bound to the chip surface. However, some normal cells also got captured on the surface. The selectivity and sensitivity of tumor isolation changed when the surface of the chip was chemically treated to create nanoscale texture. The captured cancer cells showed distinctly different behavior on the surface of the chip than that for the normal cells. The behavior quantification can serve as a novel modality to detect cancer cells from simple samples like blood, saliva or urine.