Sampling Living Cancer Cell Parts With Tiny Glass Capillaries

Researchers have developed a new technique that allows them to sample living cancer cells and their internal structures without killing them, using tiny glass capillaries to extract material for precise analysis of where cancer drugs accumulate inside cells.

The method, created by scientists from King’s College London and the University of Surrey, uses capillary tips ten micrometres wide to sample whole pancreatic cancer cells and three micrometres wide to access subcellular components such as mitochondria. This enables researchers to track the exact location of therapeutic agents within living cells for the first time.

By combining capillary sampling with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the team can detect trace amounts of metals associated with targeted radionuclide therapies. This approach avoids the need to fix or destroy cells, preserving their natural state during analysis.

The technique was applied to a class of cancer therapy that delivers radiation directly to tumour cells by attaching a radioactive particle to a tumour-seeking molecule. Understanding where the drug ends up inside the cell is critical, as drugs reaching the nucleus can damage DNA, while those accumulating elsewhere may have different effects.

Dr Monica Felipe-Sotelo, Senior Lecturer in Radiochemistry and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Surrey and co-author of the study, explained that the method was developed using two specialist facilities: the SEISMIC facility at King’s College London for cell sampling and the University of Surrey’s ICP-MS facility for metal detection. Together, they enabled a single workflow that integrates sampling and analysis.

The SEISMIC facility, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, is designed specifically for extracting material from single living cells under a microscope. This capability allowed researchers to isolate individual pancreatic cancer cells and sample material from internal structures like mitochondria without disrupting cellular integrity.

Published in Spectrochimica Acta Part B, the study represents a significant advancement in cancer research by providing a reliable way to map drug distribution inside living cells. Previously, no method existed to measure this accurately without killing the cells first, limiting insights into drug mechanisms.

This innovation could improve how cancer treatments are designed by allowing scientists to observe, in real time, exactly where a drug accumulates within a cell. Such precision may help optimize therapies to enhance effectiveness and reduce off-target effects.