NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Silicon Valley-based startup Namocell announced this week that it has formed a partnership with Stanford University to test its microfluidics-based single cell sorting system with circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
The Namo Single Cell Dispenser is a benchtop instrument designed to perform single cell sorting and dispensing in one step through a microfluidic channel. According to Namocell, it will be used by Stanford researcher Stefanie Jeffery to identify and isolate individual CTCs from patient blood samples and tumor models as part of her ongoing investigation into the role of CTCs in cancer progression and their utility as biomarkers.
Specific terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.
"We are excited to collaborate with Dr. Jeffrey and her team at Stanford on their cutting-edge CTC research," Namocell CEO Junyu Lin said in a statement. "We have developed patented microfluidic technology to sort and capture each individual cell to enable the study of individual CTCs in great depth and with ease. Our Namo Single Cell Dispenser complements the CTC isolation platforms that Dr. Jeffrey's lab has invented or tested and can be readily adapted into the workflow of other technologies the lab uses to investigate CTC behavior and cancer treatment response."