Seminarium CeNT (25.07.2025): Circulating Tumors: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing the Core Facility CeNT UW

Circulating tumors (CTCs) are cells that break off from a malignant tumor and travel through the bloodstream. They play a crucial role in the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. CTC’s are an invaluable tool in the prediction of response to therapy, relapse resistance to treatment, and putative diagnostic in cancer. The vast majority of deaths from cancer are due to metastatic cancer which represents the zenith of evolution in cell survival. CTCs are masters of disguise exhibiting remarkable adaptability to survive in the blood. They employ various strategies, including cloaking themselves behind platelets or hiding behind immune cells, enhancing protective proteins and forming clusters to enhance their metastatic potential. However, we recently uncovered a surprising new type of cellular subterfuge, mimicry.

In our recent study we examined thousands of circulating tumors in an effort to stratify their behavior in terms of aggressiveness and survivability. We discovered that a subclass of CTCs (EpiB) are copying developmental programs of early trophectoderm, essentially disguising themselves as early embryos. This mimicry helps CTCs move, survive and grow in the circulatory system much like an early embryo does. Targeting these programming modules in CTCs could disrupt the metastatic potential in cancer patients.