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A Sensor Solution to the Femtomolar Problem in Bladder Cancer
Marco Machado1, Wonjun Yim1, Michael S Strano1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
ACS Sensors
|August 20, 2025
Summary
A novel sensor probe can significantly amplify biomarker concentrations directly within the urinary tract, improving early bladder cancer detection. This innovation addresses the challenge of detecting low-concentration biomarkers, potentially reducing monitoring costs.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Urology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Bladder cancer diagnosis and recurrence monitoring are costly due to invasive procedures.
- Current urine analysis for bladder cancer is limited by low biomarker concentrations (femtomolar range) caused by dilution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and analyze a sensor innovation for enhanced bladder cancer biomarker detection.
- To address the femtomolar detection challenge in biofluid analysis.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical analysis of a sensor probe designed for in-situ biomarker amplification within the urinary tract.
- Evaluation of analyte concentration amplification for protein biomarkers in urine.
Main Results:
- The sensor probe can amplify analyte concentrations by over 50,000 times for biomarkers with specific diffusion rates.
- The proposed method enhances detection limits substantially by bringing sensors closer to the tumor site.
Conclusions:
- This sensor innovation offers a potential solution for early bladder cancer detection and reduced monitoring costs.
- The technology may be extendable to other cancer types and biomarkers.
