Nanoparticle-based liquid biopsy

Liquid biopsy has emerged as a revolutionary diagnostic strategy in oncology, providing a minimally invasive means for real-time monitoring of tumor dynamics through the analysis of circulating tumor-derived biomarkers in biological fluids. The incorporation of nanotechnology into liquid biopsy platforms has significantly enhanced analytical sensitivity and specificity by improving the detection and isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), extracellular vesicles (EVs), and exosomal non-coding RNAs. This review provides a detailed overview of recent advancements in nanoparticle-enabled liquid biopsy, focusing on essential nanomaterials, including gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), and silica nanoparticles, and their mechanistic contributions to enhancing assay performance through targeted biomarker capture, signal amplification, and multiplexed detection. The clinical translation of these technologies is exemplified by emerging platforms such as an exosome-based AuNPs-SERS-AI assay, which achieved an AUC of 0.97, with 90.2 % sensitivity and 94.4 % specificity in the detection of early-stage multi-cancer. Lastly, we outline future directions for the clinical integration of nanoparticle-assisted liquid biopsy, highlighting their potential to advance precision oncology through real-time, non-invasive, and personalized diagnostics.