Microfluidics-based Liquid Biopsies

Dear colleagues,

Liquid biopsies provide a minimally invasive screening option for the analysis of tumor-specific material in biological fluids, such as the peripheral blood samples of patients. The analysis of circulating tumor cells or the tracking of tumor specific genetic or epigenetic alterations in cell-free circulating nucleic acids can provide real-time information, allowing for the detection of early-stage cancer, monitoring disease progression, predicting a response to drugs, and providing personalized treatment options. Thanks to recent technological advances, the field of liquid biopsies has now passed the proof-of-concept period and is beginning to find application in clinics. With the ability to manipulate fluids inside the architectures with dimensions that are comparable to the size of single cells, and with the ability to perform highly sensitive and quantitative analyses, microfluidic technologies have shown great potential for providing the tools needed for the handling of liquid biopsies.

With this Special Issue, we aim to tackle the recent, innovative microfluidics-based tools and the detection techniques for the handling and analysis of circulating tumor cells, exosomes, circulating tumor DNA, or circulating RNA, and we provide a detailed discussion regarding the potential opportunities for microfluidics-based approaches in cancer diagnostics. 

Dr. Valérie Taly
Dr. Deniz Pekin
Guest Editors

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