MILAN and TEL HASHOMER, Israel, March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Tethis S.p.A., a pioneer in standardized liquid biopsy platform development, and Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest medical center consistently ranked as a Top 10 World’s Best Hospital by Newsweek magazine, today announced a research collaboration to evaluate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in rectal cancer patients using Tethis’ proprietary technology. Under the agreement, a Tethis’ See.d® instrument will be installed at Sheba’s Institute of Pathology.
The study, led by Prof. Iris Barshack will focus on monitoring CTCs and ctDNA in patients with rectal cancer before and after neoadjuvant therapy. Blood samples will be collected at multiple time points to establish baseline CTC levels and track changes throughout treatment. The research aims to evaluate the potential of CTCs combined with ctDNA as a surrogate marker to predict relapse of rectal carcinoma earlier than conventional imaging studies.
“Working with Sheba represents a significant step in expanding the applications of our liquid biopsy platform,” states Dr. Holger Neecke, CEO of Tethis. “Our See.d instrument, combined with our nanocoated SmartBioSurface slides, enables standardized preparation of cytology specimens containing immune and tumor cells, suited for sequential multiplexing and interpretation with artificial intelligence, while collecting
