Single-Blood-Draw-Based Screening of Cancer Histotypes via Homologous Adhesion between Tumor Extracellular Vesicles...

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cancer Diagnostics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Accurate cancer diagnosis is crucial for improving patient survival rates.
• Current liquid biopsy methods face challenges in identifying tumor histotype from a single blood sample.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in blood hold potential for non-invasive cancer detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for specific recognition and detection of tumor extracellular vesicles (tEVs).
• To enable rapid and accurate cancer diagnosis, including histotype and subtype differentiation, from minimal serum samples.
• To create a versatile platform for cancer classification and therapeutic monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Homologous Adhesion Identification (HAI) method using tumor cell membrane-coated silica microspheres (TMS).
• Functionalized TMS to achieve high binding strength, speed, and biospecificity with tEVs.
• Utilized diverse detection techniques including fluorescence, UV-Vis, electrochemistry, and electrochemiluminescence (ECL).

Main Results:

• The HAI method demonstrated effective discrimination between normal and tumor EVs, and across different tumor histotypes/subtypes.
• Achieved a minimum detection limit of 10 tEVs/mL using only 10 μL of serum.
• Successfully differentiated healthy and tumor blood samples in five animal models.

Conclusions:

• The HAI method offers a versatile and sensitive approach for rapid cancer diagnosis using liquid biopsy.
• The technology shows significant potential for clinical applications in cancer classification and monitoring.
• The platform's adaptability with replaceable membranes and detection methods enhances its broad applicability.