NGRL combines CTC analysis with cfDNA strategies to transform cancer detection and monitoring

[Bio-Rad Laboratories]

Cancer detection is moving beyond traditional tissue biopsies and into the bloodstream. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are revolutionizing how researchers and clinicians approach cancer detection and monitoring. These blood-based biomarkers promise earlier detection, more precise monitoring, and deeper insights into cancer evolution.

In Japan, Nihon Gene Research Laboratories (NGRL) is leading this transformation. Since 2014, NGRL has built a robust network of collaborators across hospitals and research institutions to unlock the potential of CTCs and cfDNA for early cancer detection, treatment monitoring, and understanding disease progression.

Their workflows integrate the Genesis Cell Isolation System with Celselect Slides™ for CTC enumeration, alongside advanced cfDNA analysis methods. This combined approach enables researchers to capture rare tumor cells and analyze genetic material circulating in blood, offering a comprehensive view of cancer biology.
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Mesenchymal CTCs detected by cell enumeration.
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Example of detecting CTC clusters on the Celselect slide.

Key Highlights:

• Over 4,000 individuals tested, including healthy and cancer patients
• Collaborations with 42 research facilities across Japan
• Genesis System as a cornerstone for CTC isolation
• cfDNA analysis for genomic insights and disease monitoring

NGRL’s work demonstrates how liquid biopsy technologies can accelerate precision oncology and improve patient outcomes.

Learn more about how automated CTC capture and analysis can strengthen cancer monitoring workflows.
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[fyhaaa]

Incredible work by NGRL in revolutionizing cancer detection with cutting-edge CTC and cfDNA technologies.

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[verity]

This article has helped me gain a better understanding of the trends in blood testing for cancer detection, thereby facilitating the early detection and timely treatment of cancer.

[williamcorlin]

This is a pretty interesting approach, especially the idea of looking at CTCs and cfDNA together rather than treating them as competing liquid-biopsy methods. CTCs can provide the cellular side of the picture, while cfDNA gives you genomic information that may not be obvious from cell enumeration alone. wheelie life

The scale of the NGRL collaboration is also impressive. Getting data from 4,000+ individuals and 42 facilities should provide a useful basis for evaluating how reproducible these workflows are across different sites. I’d be particularly interested in how the CTC counts correlate with the cfDNA findings over time and whether combining the two improves monitoring compared with either method independently.

For me, the big question is still standardization—especially with rare CTCs and CTC clusters. Capture efficiency, sample handling and downstream analysis can make a big difference. If those variables can be controlled well, this combined workflow could be very useful for research into tumor evolution and treatment response.