Detection, isolation and analysis of rare cells in biological fluids

Abstract

The invention provides a method for isolating or enriching a rare cell from a biological fluid of a mammal employing an antibody that binds a cell-surface antigen of the rare cell. The immobilized antibody is incubated with a sample of biological fluid that includes the rare cells and a plurality of other cells so as to form an antibody-rare cell complex. The complex can be detected or isolated and subsequently analyzed by any of a variety of physical, chemical and genetic techniques.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to immunological methods and kits for the detection, capture and isolation of rare cells from biological fluids for analysis of their antigenic, phenotypic and genetic properties. In particular, the present invention provides methods for the detection, capture, isolation and analysis of fetal mononuclear red blood cells (NRBC) in maternal blood. Background technique [0002] Performing prenatal diagnosis to detect possible chromosomal and genetic abnormalities in the fetus enables parents and caregivers to initiate early treatment for monitoring a predisposition to a disease or condition. The practice of prenatal diagnosis has been established to detect possible chromosomal and genetic abnormalities in the fetus, thus enabling parents and caregivers to make informed decisions. Down syndrome (DS) due to the presence of all or part of an extra copy of ), the most common genetic cause of mental retardation and the leading r...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The present invention also addresses the unmet need for reliable rare cell isolation methods in other fields that currently face similar detection and analysis limitations, such as circulating stem cells and tumor cells

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