Main Host Institution: University Medical Center Hamburg – Eppendorf, Department of Tumor Biology (UKE) – Germany

Host Lab: Cell stress and dissemination

Project Title: Diagnostic and therapeutic utility of CTCs in NSCLC

Project Background: Primary tumors may disseminate single tumor cells into the blood stream and such circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood may be used as markers for the onset of metastasis or even for the early detection of a primary tumor itself. In comparison with other tumor entities, the circulating tumor cells detection rate for lung cancer is lower than expected. The reason of it might lay in both – physical (difference in size) and molecular characteristics (lack of adequate lung cancer biomarkers).

Project Aim:

• Establishment of immunostaining protocols compatible with CTC isolation and downstream analysis methods
• Validation of biomarkers, standardization of evaluation systems
• Evaluation of the diagnostic/predictive value of particular biomarkers in NSCLC patients.