Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
07:54
Surface-enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering Nanoprobe Ratiometry for Detecting Microscopic Ovarian Cancer via Folate Receptor Targeting
Published on: March 25, 2019
Towards detection and identification of circulating tumour cells using Raman spectroscopy
U Neugebauer1, T Bocklitz, J H Clement
1Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, D-07745 Jena, Germany.
The Analyst
|October 14, 2010
Summary
Raman spectroscopy can identify rare circulating tumor cells in blood with high accuracy. This technique offers a promising tool for cancer diagnostics by distinguishing cancer cells from healthy blood cells.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Spectroscopy
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Body fluids offer accessible diagnostic biomarkers.
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood are valuable but rare, posing diagnostic challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a Raman spectroscopy-based method for identifying and distinguishing single circulating tumor cells from healthy blood cells.
- To assess the diagnostic potential of Raman spectroscopy for cancer detection in peripheral blood.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 785 nm laser for optical trapping and Raman spectroscopy of single cells.
- Employed support vector machines for a supervised classification model.
- Analyzed spectra from leukocytes, erythrocytes, myeloid leukemia cells (OCI-AML3), and breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7, BT-20).
Main Results:
- Achieved >99.7% sensitivity and >99.5% specificity in distinguishing tumor cells from healthy cells.
- Attained approximately 92% accuracy in predicting correct cell types.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of differentiating various cell types, including cancer cells, in suspension.
Conclusions:
- Raman spectroscopy, combined with machine learning, is a highly sensitive and specific method for detecting circulating tumor cells.
- This technique shows significant potential for advancing non-invasive cancer diagnostics and monitoring.
- The study validates the use of Raman spectroscopy for single-cell analysis in complex biological samples.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Raman Spectroscopy Instrumentation: Overview
A conventional Raman spectrophotometer includes a laser source, a sample holding system, a wavelength selector, and a detector.
The monochromatic laser source, typically using visible or near-infrared radiation, generates a highly focused beam of light. This light interacts with the molecules of the sample, scattering some of the light. Liquid and gaseous samples are usually tested in ordinary glass capillaries, while solids can be analyzed as powders packed in capillaries or as potassium...
The monochromatic laser source, typically using visible or near-infrared radiation, generates a highly focused beam of light. This light interacts with the molecules of the sample, scattering some of the light. Liquid and gaseous samples are usually tested in ordinary glass capillaries, while solids can be analyzed as powders packed in capillaries or as potassium...
01:20Raman Spectroscopy: Overview
The underlying principle of Raman spectroscopy is based on the interaction between light and matter, specifically molecules' inelastic scattering of photons. When a monochromatic beam of light, typically from a laser source, interacts with a sample, most scattered light has the same frequency as the incident light. This is known as Rayleigh scattering.
However, a small fraction of the scattered light exhibits a frequency shift due to the exchange of energy between the incident photons and the...
However, a small fraction of the scattered light exhibits a frequency shift due to the exchange of energy between the incident photons and the...