Gürhan Özkayar

Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that have detached from a primary tumour and entered the bloodstream, potentially leading to the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. The term "label-free" indicates that the isolation process doesn't rely on the attachment of specific labels or markers to the CTCs for identification. Traditional methods often use antibodies or other molecules that bind to specific proteins expressed on the surface of CTCs, enabling their detection and isolation. However, label-free techniques aim to capture CTCs based on intrinsic properties such as size, deformability, or electrical charge. Obtaining a heterogeneous population of CTCs is essential for more accurate drug testing, as it reflects the complexity of the tumour and allows for the evaluation of potential therapeutic responses across different cell populations.

My postdoctoral research focuses on design, development, and implementation of microfluidic chips for label-free isolation of heterogeneous CTCs as a part of a ZonMw project which is carried out by Pouyan Boukany (TU Delft) in collaboration with Peter ten Dijke (LUMC), John Martens (Erasmus MC) and Stefan Sleijfer (Erasmus MC).