FURI | Spring 2018

Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry

The objective of this research is to detect the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a custom designed flow system. Determining the location of CTCs is crucial, as they indicate the presence of cancer and can provide diagnostically relevant information, such as the stage of cancer development. It is difficult to detect CTCs in blood, so to aid in their detection, copper-sulfide nanoparticles are functionalized to bind specifically to ovarian cancer CTCs. The nanoparticles act as a photoacoustic contrast agent, allowing for the detection of CTCs through photoacoustic flowmetry (PAF) in a custom designed flow system.