TGFB1 and cancer: To demonstrate specifically that the capture of cancer cells by the RIE-generated nanorough glass substrate was independent of a cancer cell’s epithelial or mesenchymal state, we used the A549 cell culture model of TGF-β-induced EMT and spiked known quantities of pre- and post-EMT A549 cells (n = 40–10,000) into 500 μL lysed human blood (Fig. 2a).