Cancer treatment is one step closer to becoming more personalised, with the opening of a new research centre focusing on circulating tumour cells.

The centre is the result of a collaboration between the National Cancer Centre Singapore and local company Clearbridge BioMedics, which came up with the technology used to separate these cells from the rest of the bloodstream.

Circulating tumour cells are cancer cells which have detached from the main tumour and are circulating in the bloodstream. By studying them, experts can get a clearer picture of the genetic makeup of an individual's cancer cells, enabling them to prescribe drugs to treat the problem more efficiently.

The new technique may also enable doctors to quickly assess how the tumour is responding to a specific treatment, and modify it if necessary.