RGCC International - Driven by Science, Experience, Vision

RGCC International is a specialized medical genetics laboratory established in 2004 by genetics pioneer Dr. Ioannis Papasotiriou, MD, PhD, SCym. His commitment to personalized cancer care and unwavering belief in the power of a patient’s genes has fueled Dr. Papasotiriou’s vision to create personalized science-driven cancer solutions.

RGCC stands at the forefront in the development and utilization of liquid biopsy, CTC isolation, enumeration, and genetic analysis, along with chemo-sensitivity testing to determine the sensitivity and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and natural substances for the creation of individualized cancer profiles and genuinely personalized cancer treatment protocols.

In addition to clinical testing, RGCC is a state-of-the-art research facility equipped with the most technologically advanced equipment and data analysis software, allowing for advanced testing methods unrivaled by other clinical laboratories in the industry. With these technologically advanced capabilities, RGCC is actively involved in advancing cancer treatment with its research efforts to identify novel targets and develop new pharmaceutical agents.

Accreditations

RGCC is CLIA certified. The CLIA ID is 99D2283882 (https://rgcc-international.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Centers-for-Medicare-Medicaid-Services.pdf)
The laboratory facilities are accredited for analytical assays and medical tests (ISO17025, ISO15189).
RGCC is accredited by international bodies for both Testing and Medical Laboratories (ISO17025 and ISO15189 Respectively).
RGCC is accredited by the Japanese Government as a Foreign Cell Processor.
RGCC is accredited by EOF GMP for Cosmetics and Supplements.
RGCC retains a certificate of Compliance - GMP.

** Please see the complete list of accreditations and certificates on our website, as they are continuously being updated

Laboratory Facilities and Capabilities

RGCC owns worldwide laboratory facilities in Switzerland, Greece, Germany, the UK, and India for processing clinical samples and facilities for Research & Development. 

The facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment such as:

• High-performance liquid chromatography systems (HPLC)
• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry systems (GC-MS)
• Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry systems (LC-MS)
• Nuclear magnetic resonance system (NMR), etc.
• Illumina NextSeq 550 (Gold standard)
• Flow Cytometry BD FACSCalibur™ Flow Cytometer

These technologically advanced facilities allow our Chemistry (Combinatorial and Analytical) Department to perform all the appropriate assays for analyzing every drug/substance or product for different parameters.

RGCC’s Research & Development Department analyzes thousands of clinical samples to detect potential therapeutic targets or new biomarkers.

In addition to diagnostic testing, RGCC focuses on developing personalized treatments with specific cellular and oligonucleotide therapies, classified as Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products (ATMPs) by the CAT Committee of EMA.

Collaborations and Publications

RGCC Group has several peer-reviewed publications and collaborates with universities and hospitals. Furthermore, abstracts have been presented at cancer conferences of ESMO, DGHO, and ASCO.

Below is a sample list of peer-reviewed publications:

• Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients with Breast, Prostate, Pancreatic, Colon, and Melanoma Cancer A Blinded Comparative Study Using Healthy Donors https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=57781
• A Novel Method for Colorectal Cancer Screening Based on Circulating Tumor Cells and Machine Learning https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/23/10/1248
• A Pilot Study of the Predictive Potential of Chemosensitivity and Gene Expression Assays Using Circulating Tumour Cells from Patients with Recurrent Ovarian Cancer https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/13/4813
• Flow Cytometry of Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer Patients: A Blinded Study https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=94661
• Circulating tumor cell gene expression and chemosensitivity analyses: predictive accuracy for response to multidisciplinary treatment of patients with unresectable refractory recurrent rectal cancer or unresectable refractory colorectal cancer liver metastases https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-022-09770-3
• Precision oncotherapy based on liquid biopsies in multidisciplinary treatment of unresectable recurrent rectal cancer: a retrospective cohort study https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00432-019-03046-3
• Circulating tumor cell liquid biopsy in selecting therapy for recurrent cutaneous melanoma with locoregional pelvic metastases: a pilot study https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-020-05021-5

An entire library of publications is available on the RGCC website:https://rgcc-international.com/published-articles/

CTC Viability, Isolation, and Identification

Viability: Taking under consideration the fragility of Circulating Tumour cells, RGCC’s sample collection and shipping methods are based on studies that have been performed and published, demonstrating that the transfer period does not affect the gene and protein expression profile of CTCs when they are transferred in appropriate tubes, with specific conditions. These conditions are fulfilled with RGCC-specific collection tubes containing an anticoagulant liquid that is transported to the lab in our customized ISOBOXES that ensure the safe shipment of the sample in the appropriate temperature range without a decrease of cell viability or alteration in their phenotype. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28975085/

Isolation: The isolation protocol, based in Fluorescence-activated Cell Sorting, enables the elimination of specific cells. We eliminate endothelial and other hematological origin cells while the collected cells are tested for the expression of specific cancer markers. These cells are cultivated and tested before any further assay is performed.

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21526006/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24359142/

Our isolation techniques of CTCs have been peer-reviewed, assessed, and verified that they are actual isolation and not enrichment methods. Furthermore, these methods have led RGCC to identify novel therapeutic targets and novel candidate drugs already in the assessment process, and several of them are in the level of early human trials. 

Identification: It has also been suggested that CTCs are not abundant in the average cancer patient; however, it has been demonstrated that the proliferation rate of CTCs is quite different than that of conventional cancer cells since they might contain sub-populations of cancer stem cell-like cells. Therefore, it is feasible to have millions of cells after a few days to proceed to further assays.