Magnetically-activated, nanostructured cellulose for efficient capture of circulating tumor cells from the blood sample of head and neck cancer patients

Raj Shankar Hazra; Narendra Kale; Camden Boyle; Kayla B Molina; Alain D'Souza; Gourishankar Aland; Long Jiang; Pankaj Chaturvedi; Santaneel Ghosh; Sanku Mallik; Jayant Khandare; Mohiuddin Quadir

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121418

Magnetically-activated, nanostructured cellulose for efficient capture of circulating tumor cells from the blood sample of head and neck cancer patients

Carbohydr Polym. 2024 Jan 1:323:121418. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121418. Epub 2023 Sep 20.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58108, ND, USA.
² Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58108, ND, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58108, ND, USA.
³ Department of Engineering and Technology, Southeast Missouri State University, One University Plaza, MS6825, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
⁵ Actorius Innovations and Research, Pune, India; Actorius Innovations and Research, Simi Valley, CA 93063, USA.
⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA.
⁷ Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India.
⁸ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58108, ND, USA.
⁹ Actorius Innovations and Research, Pune, India; School of Pharmacy, Dr. Vishwananth Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune 411038, India; School of Consciousness, Dr. Vishwananth Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune 411038, India; Actorius Innovations and Research, Simi Valley, CA 93063, USA. Electronic address: jayant@actorius.co.in.
¹⁰ Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58108, ND, USA. Electronic address: mohiuddin.quadir@ndsu.edu.

PMID: 37940250
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121418

Abstract

In this report, the relative efficiency of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and nanofibers (CNFs) to capture circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the blood sample of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients was evaluated. Detection and enumeration of CTCs are critical for monitoring cancer progression. Both types of nanostructured cellulose were chemically modified with Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM) antibody and iron oxide nanoparticles. The EpCAM antibody facilitated the engagement of CTCs, promoting entrapment within the cellulose cage structure. Iron oxide nanoparticles, on the other hand, rendered the cages activatable via the use of a magnet for the capture and separation of entrapped CTCs. The efficiency of the network structures is shown in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients' blood samples. It was observed that the degree of chemical functionalization of hydroxyl groups located within the CNCs or CNFs with anti-EpCAM determined the efficiency of the system's interaction with CTCs. Further, our result indicated that inflexible scaffolds of nanocrystals interacted more efficiently with CTCs than that of the fibrous CNF scaffolds. Network structures derived from CNCs demonstrated comparable CTC capturing efficiency to commercial standard, OncoDiscover®. The output of the work will provide the chemical design principles of cellulosic materials intended for constructing affordable platforms for monitoring cancer progression in 'real time'.

Keywords: Cancer; Cellulose nanocrystal; Cellulose nanofiber; Circulating tumor cells; Nanostructures.

MeSH terms

Cell Line, Tumor
Cell Separation
Cellulose
Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule / metabolism
Head and Neck Neoplasms*
Humans
Nanostructures*
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating* / metabolism
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating* / pathology

Substances

Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule
Cellulose