Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026

05:58
Clinical Microfluidic Chip Platform for the Isolation of Versatile Circulating Tumor Cells
Published on: October 13, 2023
1.8K
Selective Capture and Quick Detection of Targeting Cells with SERS-Coding Microsphere Suspension Chip.
Dian Li1, Yuting Zhang, Ruimin Li
1State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Department of Macromolecular Science and Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|January 20, 2015
Summary
This study introduces a novel magnetic microsphere chip for efficiently capturing and detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs). This SERS-coding technology offers high recovery rates and selective cell sieving, aiding cancer monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial biomarkers for monitoring cancer recurrence and metastasis.
- Current methods for CTC detection face challenges in efficiency, recovery, and specificity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-coding microsphere suspension chip for rapid and efficient capture, recovery, and detection of CTCs.
- To evaluate the efficacy of folate-functionalized magnetic composite microspheres for targeting and isolating cancer cells.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of magnetic composite microspheres functionalized with folate for cancer cell capture.
- Utilized disulfide bonds for cell recovery via glutathione elution.
- Employed SERS with 4-aminothiophenol as a reporter molecule for cell characterization.
- Performed cell sieving experiments using mixed cell samples.
Main Results:
- Achieved high capturing efficacy of up to 95% for model CTCs (HeLa cells).
- Demonstrated efficient cell recovery of 90% within 20 minutes using glutathione.
- SERS provided unique fingerprint signals for characterizing captured and recovered cells.
- Magnetic composite microspheres showed selective capture of HeLa cells from mixed cell populations.
Conclusions:
- The developed SERS-coding microsphere suspension chip provides a fast, efficient, and selective method for CTC analysis.
- The folate-functionalized magnetic microspheres show significant potential for clinical applications in cancer diagnostics and monitoring.

