Researchers at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how cancer spreads, thanks to ANGLE PLC (AIM:AGL, OTCQX:ANPCY) Parsortix system.
The study, led by Professor Dario Marchetti, explored how circulating tumour cells (CTCs) interact with B cells, a type of immune cell, to form clusters that help cancer evade the immune system and spread more aggressively.
Using an advanced humanised mouse model, the team discovered that these CTC-B cell clusters act as shields, making cancer cells harder to detect and more likely to metastasise.
They found higher numbers of these clusters in patients whose melanoma later spread, suggesting they could be an early warning sign of aggressive disease and help predict immunotherapy resistance.
Another key finding was the discovery of a "postcode" gene signature within CTC clusters.
This appears to direct cancer cells from the brain to the liver, leading to secondary metastasis—a condition linked to poor patient outcomes.
Researchers believe similar pathways might exist for other cancers, offering new drug targets to stop metastasis before it happens.
Parsortix was crucial to these findings, as it allows scientists to isolate live CTC clusters for in-depth study.
Marchetti’s team described it as the best available technology for this type of research, with exciting potential for developing new treatments to block cancer spread.
ANGLE's chief scientific officer, Karen Miller, said: "We share Professor Marchetti's excitement for this innovative and impactful work and congratulate his team on these novel findings.
"Furthermore, we are extremely proud to see the Parsortix system playing an instrumental part in such pioneering discoveries in cancer research and the implications for drug discovery.
"We anticipate that interest in the Parsortix system will increase as commercial and academic research into the metastatic pathway continues to build."