Circulating cell clusters found in subjects with cancer, autoimmune conditions, infections, or other diseases, can be trapped or disrupted by filtering them with an intra- or extracorporeal device and, in some cases, exposing them to a substance, such as enzyme, that reduces intercellular adhesion.

Circulating cell clusters found in subjects with cancer, autoimmune conditions, infections, or other diseases, can be trapped or disrupted by filtering them with an intra- or extracorporeal device and, in some cases, exposing them to a substance, such as enzyme, that reduces intercellular adhesion.

A peristaltic pump-based apparatus for capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood is provided that includes a feedback control architecture that uses models of pump operation and measures of internal pressure fluctuations of the pump (e.g., in the form time-varying and/or position-dependent pressure oscillation data) to adjust pump operating characteristics that smooth pump operation, thereby improving viscosity and consistency of fluid flowing through the pump to a connected microfluidic capture device.