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.

Provided are methods for detecting or isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in a subject. The methods may include detecting the expression of at least one epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarker. Further provided are kits for detecting or isolating CTCs. The kits may include antibodies to at least one EMT biomarker. Further provided are methods of predicting the responsiveness of a subject to a cancer drug, methods of targeting delivery of a cancer drug in a subject, methods of providing a cancer prognosis to a subject, and methods for following the progress of cancer in a subject.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods for diagnosing, predicting and treating graft-vs-host disease and/or relapse of a hematologic malignancy following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation based on T-cell specific biomarkers.

Disclosed herein are reagents, compositions and methods for isolating and detecting rare cells such as circulating multiple myeloma cells as well as method of evaluating and treating patients suspected of having diseases of abnormal plasma cells, such as multiple myeloma.

The present invention describes a method for detecting NEPC 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), and (b) determining presence or absence of a CTC subpopulation associated with NEPC comprising detecting a measurable feature of each biomarker in a panel of morphological and protein biomarkers, wherein the presence of the CTC subpopulation associated with NEPC is indicative of NEPC. In other embodiments, the biomarkers for the CTC subpopulation associated with NEPC comprise small size, absence of Androgen Receptor (AR.sup.−), and presence of nucleoli (nucleoli.sup.+). In additional embodiments, the methods of the invention further comprise molecular analysis of the CTCs.

The present invention provides a detection reagent and therapeutic target for B cell tumor after targeted therapy and related applications. The reagent composition comprises 3 groups of antibodies, with the first group of antibodies including an anti-CD38 antibody, an anti-CD10 antibody, an anti-CD34 antibody, an anti-CD19 antibody, an anti-CD24 an antibody, an anti-CD20 antibody, an anti-CD81 antibody, an anti-CD45 antibody; the second group of antibodies including an anti-CD38 antibody, an anti-CD10 antibody, an anti-CD34 antibody, an anti-CD19 antibody, an anti-CD20 antibody, an anti-CD72 antibody, an anti-CD45 antibody; and the third group of antibodies including an anti-cytoplasmic CD79a antibody. The reagent composition of the present invention can be applied for the detection of B-lymphocyte tumors after targeted therapy by flow cytometry.

The present invention relates to methods for labeling intracellular and extracellular targets of leukocytes, as well as to kits for performing said methods.

Strategies to assess and/or produce cell populations with predictive engraftment potential are described. The cell populations can be used for a variety of therapeutic and research purposes.

The present invention provides a method for determining the prognosis of cancer in a subject. The method comprises measuring the amount of megakaryocytes in a sample from the subject. Usually, the sample is a blood sample. The method may also comprise measuring the number of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in the sample, and in some embodiments a comparison of the number of megakaryocytes and CTCs in the sample. The present invention also provides methods of treatment for cancer in a patient for whom a poor prognosis is predicted using a method of prognosis of the invention.

A normal set of cells is characterized using flow cytometry. A centroid and radius are defined for a set of clusters in an n-dimensional space corresponding to a normal maturation for a cell lineage in the normal set of cells. A test set of cells is characterized using flow cytometry and the characterization is compared to the defined set of clusters. Support Vector Machine (SVM) subroutines are employed to identify reference populations of interest by generating multidimensional boundary definitions. These boundary definitions may be used to identify reference populations to use in defining or refining a centroid line or a radius or radii defining a set of normal clusters, and to characterize and compare a test set of cells to the defined set of normal clusters.