cancersorter

Cancersorter is a term used to describe a class of devices or methods designed to isolate and sort cancer cells from mixed biological samples. It is applied in research and, in some contexts, clinical settings to improve the analysis of tumor cells and to enable non-invasive testing through enrichment of malignant cells.

Techniques used under the banner of cancersorting include flow cytometry–based sorting (FACS), magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) with antibody-coated beads, and various microfluidic approaches. These methods may rely on tumor-specific surface markers, cell size and deformability, or electrical and magnetic properties to separate cancer cells from normal blood or tissue cells. Some systems employ label-free strategies such as size-based separation or dielectrophoresis, while others use affinity capture to target known cancer-associated antigens. In practice, many implementations combine multiple principles to balance purity, yield, and cell viability.

Applications of cancersorters span basic cancer research and clinical utility. They are used to enrich circulating tumor cells from peripheral blood for genomic analysis, monitor disease progression, and study tumor heterogeneity. In the laboratory, sorted cancer cells facilitate single-cell sequencing, drug sensitivity testing, and mechanistic studies. Limitations include the biological diversity of cancer cells, marker variability, potential contamination with normal cells, and the need for careful standardization and validation before routine clinical use.

Related topics include circulating tumor cells, liquid biopsy, flow cytometry, and microfluidics.