Dual nanozyme sensor enables rapid at-home cancer surveillance

Early detection of cancer is critical for improving patient survival rates, and current in vitro diagnostic methods show great potential, particularly for point-of-care applications. However, challenges such as time consumption, high costs, and reliance on sophisticated equipment limit their widespread use, especially in resource-limited regions. Here, we have developed a smartphone-assisted miniaturized analytic device that addresses these limitations, offering a portable, cost-effective solution for at-home, rapid cancer screening. Employing a hybrid nanozyme (AuNP@Cu₂O-His) with a dual absorption design, this device enables reference-free radiometric quantification of multiple cancer biomarkers in serum down to femtomolar levels using aptamer-based recognition. Specifically, it achieves limits of detection (LOD) of 18.75 pg/mL for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), 110.31 pg/mL for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and 42.89 pg/mL for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), as determined by the 3σ/K method. Clinical sample analysis confirms the reliability of the device, with results closely matching clinical reports (relative errors below 6%). These findings highlight the potential of this robust, portable platform for early cancer detection in both clinical and resource-limited settings, enabling convenient and effective point-of-care diagnostics.