Detection of Melanoma Cells in Whole Blood Samples Using Spectral Imaging and Optical Clearing

Most cancer deaths are associated with metastases resulting from the spread of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the primary tumor to vital organs. The existing methods for detection of CTCs as markers of metastasis progression are time consuming with several steps of sample processing, including red blood cell removal, labeling, immunomagnetic capture and isolation, which can lead to loss of CTCs. Here we introduce a method for detection and identification of CTCs using spectral absorption imaging of melanoma cells and optical clearing of whole blood samples. Verification of this approach was performed using phantoms of human melanoma cells and suspensions of mouse melanoma cells of line B16F10 alone and in mixture with blood. A method for improving detection sensitivity has been demonstrated applying optical clearing of mouse blood using biocompatible chemical agents. The findings suggest that the proposed diagnostic platform has the potential to detect quickly CTCs in whole blood samples from patients with melanoma.