Capture and detection of cancer cells in whole blood with magnetic–optical nanoovals

Aim: To develop a simple assay for the capture and detection of rare cancer cells in whole blood using iron oxide–gold (IO–Au) nanoparticles.

Materials & methods: IO–Au nanoovals (NOVs) were synthesized, coated with Raman tags and linked with antibodies targeting breast cancer. An integrated system was constructed for on-line magnetic cell capture and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. The capabilities of IO–Au SERS NOVs to capture and detect rare cancer cells in blood were investigated in the integrated system using circulating tumor cell-mimic SK-BR-3 cells. Results: SK-BR-3 cells in whole blood were magnetically captured under a flow condition using IO–Au SERS NOVs, followed by on-line SERS detection with a limit of detection of 1–2 cells/ml blood. Conclusion: We developed a sensitive method that can capture and detect cancer cells in whole blood with a single nanoconstruct, which is highly promising for the detection of circulating tumor cells in the clinic.

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