CTC Isolation Kit with Stabilizing Agent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional centrifugation methods for isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples experience a decrease in recovery rate when specimens are stored for several days after blood collection.
Innovation Solution
A circulating tumor cell isolation kit and container that includes a blood collection container with an aqueous solution containing an anticoagulant and low or high molecular weight compounds, and a cell isolation container with a cell isolation material of specific gravity, which together enhance the recovery rate of CTCs regardless of specimen storage time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional centrifugation method is used for CTC isolation, then the method is simple and low cost, but the recovery rate decreases when specimens are stored for several days
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by adding a stabilizing agent to the blood collection container before blood collection. This stabilizing agent prevents CTC degradation during storage, allowing the specimen to be stored for several days while maintaining high CTC recovery rate. The action is performed in advance (during collection) to prevent the worsening condition (degradation during storage) from occurring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a stabilizing agent as an intermediary substance between the blood sample and the isolation process. This stabilizing agent acts as a mediator that maintains CTC integrity during storage periods, enabling the separation between collection and processing time without compromising recovery rate.
2Reliability
If blood collection and testing are performed immediately, then CTC recovery rate is high, but time efficiency and laboratory workflow flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing agent is added during blood collection to enable future processing. This allows the specimen to be stored for several days without degradation, decoupling the immediate processing requirement from the collection time, thus reducing time loss and improving workflow flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the blood collection container by adding specific stabilizing agents. This parameter change enables the specimen to maintain its properties during storage, allowing flexible scheduling of processing while maintaining high recovery rates.
3Adaptability or versatility
If specimens are stored for several days before testing, then laboratory workflow flexibility is improved, but CTC recovery rate decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing agent is introduced during collection to prevent degradation during storage. This preliminary action enables the specimen to be stored for several days (improving flexibility) while maintaining high CTC recovery rate (preserving reliability).
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing agent serves as an intermediary that protects CTCs during the storage period. It mediates between the desire for storage flexibility and the need to maintain recovery rate, allowing both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solution significantly increases the recovery rate of CTCs both for fresh and stored blood specimens, thereby improving the reliability and efficiency of CTC isolation.
Implementation Method 1
a centrifugation method using a difference in specific gravity of cells (density gradient centrifugation method) is known
Implementation Method 2
a cell isolation container accommodating a cell isolation material having a specific gravity at 25° C. of 1.065 or more and 1.080 or less
Implementation Method 3
when physiological saline in an amount equivalent to the predetermined amount of blood collected in the blood collection container is collected in the blood collection container to obtain a mixed liquid in which the physiological saline and the aqueous solution are mixed, an osmotic pressure of the mixed liquid being 270 mOsm/L or more and 350 mOsm/L or less
Implementation Method 4
the aqueous solution containing an anticoagulant
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a circulating tumor cell isolation kit capable of increasing a recovery rate of circulating tumor cells not only when a specimen for which a long time has not elapsed since blood collection is used but also when a specimen stored for several days after blood collection is used. The circulating tumor cell isolation kit according to the present invention is a kit used for isolation of circulating tumor cells in blood, the kit including: a blood collection container accommodating an aqueous solution and collecting a predetermined amount of blood; and a cell isolation container accommodating a cell isolation material having a specific gravity at 25° C. of 1.065 to 1.080, the aqueous solution containing an anticoagulant and containing a low molecular weight compound having a molecular weight of 75 to 500 or a high molecular weight compound having a number average molecular weight of 2,000 or more and less than 200,000, and when physiological saline in an amount equivalent to the predetermined amount of blood collected in the blood collection container is collected in the blood collection container to obtain a mixed liquid in which the physiological saline and the aqueous solution are mixed, an osmotic pressure of the mixed liquid being 270 to 350 mOsm/L.