Taiwanese in-vitro diagnostic manufacturer General Biologicals Corporation (GBC) unveiled two CellBio circulating tumor cell (CTC) cancer detection products at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, being held July 23-27 in Anaheim, California.

GBC is officially launching its award-winning brand in the U.S. market with a highly competitive niche in vitro diagnostics (IVD) device and assay, the company says.

The Circulating Tumor Cell Systems

GBC’s two CTC detection systems are used for early detection, treatment validation, and therapy monitoring with rapid, accessible, and affordable diagnostic solutions. The CellBio platform, which uses GBC proprietary iFiltration technology, provides positive control, is designed to ensure the filtration efficiency is accurate, and has led to Taiwan’s first standardized CTC system. The technology was patented and won the 2022 Taiwan National Innovation Award, the company says.

“CellBio focuses on the detection, monitoring, and treatment of cancer metastasis. The goal of GBC is to revolutionize the detection and treatment of cancer through its unique CTC technology and complementary therapeutics platform CellBio,” says Frank Lin, the president of GBC. “More than 10 million patients die from cancer each year, and more than 90 percent of the deaths are attributed to metastasis. Currently, there are no approved therapies that specifically target the metastatic process. Targeting CTCs with novel therapeutics could likely have a significant impact on cancer metastases and patient outcome.”

Among the advantages of the CellBio system are detection from 7.5-mL blood samples with high specificity, sensitivity, and cancer capture rate, complete within 90 minutes. The system applies to cancer screening, diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis; provides optimal treatment; and improves the quality of life for patients. The number of CTCs in the blood can be completely monitored during the non-invasive sampling process, and the capture rate of more than 90 percent of cancer cells is better than the industry norm.

The CellBio FX10, can work with 10 samples at a time with a full-color touch screen, while CellBio a2000 can detect two samples at a time in small-space labs. GBC has already accumulated more than 8,000 samples, resulting in good efficacy. According to BBC research, the global liquid biopsy market for cancer applications was $1.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 50.7%, reaching a forecasted size of $13.6 billion by 2025. Major market segments include bladder, breast, colon, gynecology-related cancers, lung cancer, pan-cancer, and prostate cancer.

In addition to CTC systems, GBC introduces the Samples-To-Results automated All-in-One molecular system, GB RealQuant AIO. The system consolidates extraction, amplification, and detection in one easy-to-use integrated instrument, providing fast and reliable results within 2 hours with high flexibility. The system works with all GB RealQuant HBV, HCV, and HPV Kits.

Photo: General Biologicals Corp.