Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are cells being released from primary or metastatic tumors into the blood system and circulated through the body. The presence of these cells in the blood can provide valuable information about the progression of the disease. CTC usually survive only fora short period of time, but research has shown that they despite this can spread through the body and give rise to new tumors if the conditions are right. Due to their short life span in the blood stream, the levels of detectable CTC can also be used to monitor the effect of a treatment much earlier than with traditional methods such as x-ray and other imaging methods and guide the doctor in adjusting therapy as needed.

A lot of time and energy is being invested in trying to understand these processes and to find ways to effectively and cheaply isolate and detect CTC for diagnostic purposes. The potential of these new technologies were acknowledged by Cleveland Clinic in their 2009 list of medical innovations.

Tataa Biocenter has since spring 2010 become the official Swedish distributor of CTC isolation and detection products from the German company Adnagen. The products are CE-certified and available throughout many countries in Europe. This coupled with the already established relationship between Adnagen and Tataa Molecular Diagnostics, Tataa Biocenter´s Czech Daughter Company, makes Tataa Biocenter deeply involved with the development of CTC diagnostics in Europe.

Tataa Biocenter believes that CTC monitoring will be a routine part of cancer diagnostics within a not too distant future and that it has the potential to both save lives and reduce the cost of healthcare. In order to promote this development we are always looking for possible partners within the field of CTC diagnostics.