Techniques for identifying and enumerating candidate target cells within a biological fluid specimen are described. A digital image of the biological fluid specimen is received, and one or more candidate regions of pixels in the digital image are identified by identifying connected regions of pixels of a minimum intensity having a size between a minimum size and a maximum size and an aspect ratio that meets a threshold. For each candidate region of at least one of the one or more candidate region, whether the portion of the image corresponding to the candidate region includes more than a threshold number of intensity levels is determined. If the portion of the image corresponding to the candidate region includes more than the threshold number of intensity levels the portion of the image is continued to be treated as a candidate for classification.

A method for identifying candidate target cells within a biological fluid specimen includes a digital image of the biological fluid specimen with the digital image having a plurality of color channels, identifying first connected regions of pixels of a minimum first intensity in a first channel, identifying second connected regions of pixels of a minimum second intensity in a second channel, and determining first connected regions and second connected regions that spatially overlap. For a pair of a first connected region and a second connected region that spatially overlap, whether the second connected region overlaps the first connected region by a threshold amount is determined, and if the second connected region overlaps the first connected region by the threshold amount then the portion of the image corresponding to the overlap is continued to be treated as a candidate for classification.

The present invention describes a method for detecting castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) in a patient afflicted with prostate cancer comprising (a) performing a direct analysis comprising immunofluorescent staining and morphological characterization of nucleated cells in a blood sample obtained from the patient to detect circulating tumor cells (CTC), (b) determining prevalence of a CTC subpopulation associated with CRPC comprising detecting a measurable feature of each biomarker in a panel of morphological and protein biomarkers, and (c) comparing the prevalence of said CTC subpopulation to a predetermined threshold value, wherein the prevalence of the CTC subpopulation associated with CRPC above said predetermined threshold value is indicative of CRPC. In some embodiments, the CTC subpopulation associated with CRPC comprises CK CTCs. In some embodiments, the CTC subpopulation associated with CRPC comprises small CTCs. In additional embodiments, the methods of the invention further comprise molecular analysis of the CTCs.

Methods for diagnosing the presence of prostate cancer in a subject are provided, such methods including the detection of levels of variety of biomarkers diagnostic of prostate cancer, including filamin A alone, or in combination with one or more additional biomarkers of prostate cancer, including, PSA, keratin 4, keratin 7, keratin 8, keratin 15, keratin 18, keratin 19, tubulin-beta 3, filamin B, and LY9. Additionally, age can be used as a predictor variable. The invention also provides methods of treating prostate cancer which rely on diagnostic information obtained based on the detection of biomarkers of prostate cancer, including filamin A alone, or in combination with one or more additional biomarkers of prostate cancer, including, PSA, keratin 4, keratin 7, keratin 8, keratin 15, keratin 18, keratin 19, tubulin-beta 3, filamin B, LY9, and/or age. Compositions in the form of kits and panels of reagents for detecting the biomarkers of the invention are also provided.

A method for identifying and enumerating candidate target cells within a biological fluid specimen is described. The method includes obtaining a biological fluid specimen, preparing the biological fluid specimen by staining cell features in the biological fluid specimen, capturing a digital image having a plurality of color channels of the biological fluid specimen, and applying image analysis to the digital image. A computer program product for identifying candidate target cells within a biological fluid specimen is also described. The computer program comprises instructions to cause a processor to carry out the image analysis.

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a computer, an information processing method, and a network system by which information relating to a trend of a mental or physical state of a subject can be acquired more easily than before. Provided is a computer including: a memory configured to store first data obtained from a strand of hair acquired from a subject and second data obtained from a specimen acquired from the subject, the specimen being different in acquisition time from the strand of hair; and a processor configured to generate a trend of a mental or physical state of the subject based on the first data and the second data.

The current disclosure provides methods for detecting and analyzing K17 expression in a bladder sample obtained from a subject. The current disclosure also pertains to methods and kits for identifying a mammalian subject with bladder cancer by detecting the expression of K17 in a sample. The present methods include both cell-based and cell-free methods for determining the level of keratin 17 in a sample obtained from the bladder of a subject.

The present invention encompasses filamin A (FLNA) binding proteins. Specifically, the invention relates to antibodies to FLNA. An antibody of the invention can be a full-length antibody or an antigen-binding portion thereof. Methods of making and methods of using the antibodies of the invention in methods of diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of prostate cancer are also provided.

Following a prospective clinical study that includes 242 patients, the inventors show that hepatocyte-derived MV levels predicted transplantation-free survival at 6 months in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, this association was shown to be independent of Child-Pugh and of MELD score. Thus the present invention thus relates to a method of predicting the transplantation-free survival time of a patient suffering from cirrhosis comprising determining the level of hepatocyte-derived microvesicles (e.g. by an ELISA assay) in a blood sample obtained from the patient.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of screening a lung cancer patient having acquired resistance to an EGFR inhibitor by optical image analysis of circulating tumor cells and AXL.