ICP-MS/colorimetric dual-mode detection of circulating tumor cells with dual-aptamer recognition based on gold...

The efficient identification of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is vital for early cancer diagnosis and treatment efficacy surveillance. Therefore, developing a CTC detection platform that combines high sensitivity with operational simplicity holds significant value. Dual-mode analytical strategies enhance detection reliability through signal cross-validation, offering a novel approach for constructing such platforms. To this end, this study developed an ICP-MS/colorimetric dual-mode sensing platform incorporating dual-aptamer recognition and gold nanoparticle signal labeling for the precise and sensitive detection of MCF-7 cells, which served as a CTC model. The platform employs magnetic nanoparticles for efficient separation, while gold nanoparticle labeling enables both quantitative ICP-MS analysis and colorimetric readout. Under optimized conditions, the assay achieved a linear range of 200-10,000 MCF-7 cells, with detection limits of 8 cells for ICP-MS and 76 cells for the colorimetric method. In real human blood samples, the spike recovery rate reached 96.90-109.33%, indicating good accuracy and anti-interference capability. The dual-mode strategy proposed in this study integrates high sensitivity with operational convenience. This combination provides a reliable and flexible analytical platform for CTC liquid biopsy and early tumor diagnosis in clinical settings.