Johns Hopkins University

University System of Maryland

Other

Konstantinos Konstantopoulos

Colin Dowlin Paul

Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa

Aikaterini Kontrogianni-Konstantopoulos

Sagar Ramesh Shah

Juan Carlos Martinez-Gutierrez

Alejandro Ruiz-Valls

Christopher Yankaskas

Bin Sheng Wong

Alfredo Quinones-hinojosa

Susan Napier Thomas

Marey Shriver

Nicole Perry

The present invention describes an integrated apparatus that enables identification of invasive tumor cells directly from a specimen. The methods using the apparatus can be used to prognose or predict the survivability of the cancer in a subject and the risk of recurrence of the cancer in the subject after treatment. The methods disclosed herein can be used to determine which chemotherapeutic or other therapies most strongly inhibit the tumor cells invasiveness as a form of personalized therapy.

Use of an integrated microfluidic chip for analysis of cell motility and prediction and prognosis of patient survival

The present invention describes an integrated apparatus that enables identification of migratory cells directly from a specimen. The apparatus only requires a small number of cells to perform an assay and includes novel topographic features which can reliably differentiate between migratory and non-migratory cell populations in a sample. Both the spontaneous and chemotactic migration of cancer cells may be measured to distinguish between subpopulations within a tumor sample. The migratory cells identified using the apparatus and methods of the present invention may be separated and further analyzed to distinguish factors promoting metastasis within the population. Cells in the apparatus can be treated with chemotherapeutic or other agents to determine drug strategies to most strongly inhibit migration. The use of optically transparent materials in some embodiments allows a wide range of imaging techniques to be used for in situ imaging of migratory and non migratory cells in the apparatus. The apparatus and methods of the present invention are useful for predicting the metastatic propensity of tumor cells and selecting optimal drugs for personalized therapies.

Microfluidic chip for analysis of cell motility and methods for using same

The present invention describes an integrated apparatus that enables identification of migratory cells directly from a specimen. The apparatus only requires a small number of cells to perform an assay and includes novel topographic features which can reliably differentiate between migratory and non-migratory cell populations in a sample. Both the spontaneous and chemotactic migration of cancer cells may be measured to distinguish between subpopulations within a tumor sample. The migratory cells identified using the apparatus and methods of the present invention may be separated and further analyzed to distinguish factors promoting metastasis within the population. Cells in the apparatus can be treated with chemotherapeutic or other agents to determine drug strategies to most strongly inhibit migration. The use of optically transparent materials in some embodiments allows a wide range of imaging techniques to be used for in situ imaging of migratory and non-migratory cells in the apparatus. The apparatus and methods of the present invention are useful for predicting the metastatic propensity of tumor cells and selecting optimal drugs for personalized therapies.

The present invention provides methods and compositions useful in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. More specifically, the present invention provides compositions and methods of use comprising a targeting composition comprising a solid substrate, an antibody composition, and optionally a chemotherapeutic agent.

Selectin ligands useful in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Provided herein are methods and kits for evaluating potential for invasiveness, metastasis, or recurrence of an epithelial cell cancer. In the methods the expression profile of giant obscurins is detected in a tissue sample of tumor cells or suspected tumor cells and assessed for giant obscuring expression level and distribution therein. Decreased levels or altered distribution of giant obscurins in the cells compared to a control non-invasive standard or to a sample taken at a different point in time is indicative of increased potential of at least one of the invasiveness, metastasis, or recurrence of the epithelial cell cancer. The kit comprises a detection reagent suitable for detecting the presence and distribution of giant obscurins or an amount of the gene product(s) encoding giant obscurins in cells of a tissue sample and instructions for using the detection reagent.

Giant obscurins and uses thereof in cancer prognosis and therapy

Growing community of inventors

Ellicott City, MD, United States of America

Konstantinos Konstantopoulos