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Published on: November 14, 2025
Self-Propelled Magnetic Micromotor-Functionalized DNA Tile System for Autonomous Capture of Circulating Tumor Cells
Qiumei Pu1, Liangqing Lu1, Yanghong Zhao1
1Key Laboratory of Emergency and Trauma of Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital, NHC Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, School of Tropical Medicine & The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 571199, China.
A novel magnetic micromotor-DNA array hunter efficiently captures circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for personalized cancer monitoring. This advanced technology significantly improves CTC detection rates, overcoming limitations of traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial for personalized cancer monitoring, but their low concentration and inefficient capture by conventional methods limit clinical use.
- Passive diffusion-based CTC capture methods suffer from low efficiency due to insufficient collision frequency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient and reliable method for capturing and identifying CTCs from clinical blood samples.
- To overcome the limitations of passive CTC capture methods and functional-module interference in multifunctional nanomaterials.
Main Methods:
- Development of a magnetic micromotor-functionalized DNA-array hunter (MMDA hunter) integrating enzyme-propelled micromotors, magnetic nanoparticles, and nucleic acid aptamers.
- Utilizing DNA tile self-assembly for distinct functional partitions enabling autonomous propulsion, targeted recognition, and magnetic enrichment.
- Employing a dual enzymatic cascade (glucose oxidase and catalase) for micromotor propulsion under physiological conditions.
Main Results:
- The MMDA hunter demonstrated over a 2-fold improvement in CTC capture efficiency compared to static magnetic arrays.
- Achieved high precision, rapid response, excellent stability, and superior specificity in CTC enrichment.
- Successfully captured and identified CTCs in clinical blood samples, showcasing clinical utility.
Conclusions:
- The MMDA hunter offers a reliable tool for tumor diagnosis and personalized cancer monitoring, even in primary care settings.
- Provides an effective solution for the challenge of functional-module interference in multifunctional nanomaterials.
- Enhances CTC detection efficiency and accuracy, advancing cancer diagnostics.
