Oncosuppressor-Mutated Cells as a Liquid Biopsy Test for Cancer-Screening

We reported on the ability of immortalized or oncosuppressor-mutated cells (OMCs) to uptake circulating cancer-factors and give tumors when transplanted into mice. This led to the first biological based liquid biopsy test, which we called MATER-D platform. In the present study, we showed for the first time that a different type of OMCs (PTEN-deficient human epithelial MCF10A cells) turn malignant when exposed to cancer patient’s sera, confirming the concept that different cells with diverse oncosuppressor mutations can uptake cancer factors and be used in biological based liquid biopsy tests. Our observations were confirmed in a large variety of solid and haematological malignancies. This test was able to detect dysplasia and carcinomas in situ lesions in different organs and circulating factors in cancer patients years after the removal of their lesions. To our knowledge, this ability is unique and not shared by other liquid biopsy platforms. Immunohistochemistry analysis of the xenotransplants revealed identical patterns of differentiation regardless of the cancer type, showing that differentiation through horizontal transfer might be dependent on the nature of the target cells rather than the type of cancer factors. These data strengthen the notion that OMC-based liquid biopsy tests might be promising platforms for cancer screening.