Quantification of the binding potential of cell-surface receptors in fresh excised specimens via dual-probe modeling of SERS nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Nanotechnology
• Biomarker Detection

Background:

• Complete tumor removal is crucial but challenging, often requiring re-excision due to residual tumor at surgical margins.
• Current methods for margin assessment lack intraoperative accuracy, especially when minimizing normal tissue removal is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an intraoperative approach for precise tumor-margin assessment.
• To quantify cell-surface biomarker concentration at tumor margins using kinetic modeling and dual-probe nanoparticle staining.

Main Methods:

• Employed surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoparticles (SERS NPs) with dual-probe staining (targeted and untargeted).
• Utilized kinetic modeling analysis of nanoparticle concentrations to estimate binding potential (BP) of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
• Tested on human glioma (U251) and epidermoid (A431) tumors in athymic mice, analyzing fresh resected tissues.

Main Results:

• Successfully quantified EGFR binding potential (BP) in healthy, U251, and A431 tissues.
• EGFR BPs were 0.06 ± 0.14, 1.13 ± 0.40, and 2.23 ± 0.86, respectively, correlating with known EGFR expression levels.
• Demonstrated insensitivity to nonspecific molecular probe accumulation, ensuring accurate margin assessment.

Conclusions:

• This kinetic modeling approach accurately quantifies cell-surface biomarker binding potential in fresh tissues.
• Offers a new, accurate method for intraoperative tumor margin analysis, potentially reducing the need for re-excision surgeries.
• Enhances surgical oncology by providing real-time margin status during operations.