title: Aptamer-nanoparticle strip biosensor for sensitive detection of cancer cells.
abstract: We report an aptamer-nanoparticle strip biosensor (ANSB) for the rapid, specific, sensitive, and low-cost detection of circulating cancer cells. Known for their high specificity and affinity, aptamers were first selected from live cells by the cell-SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) process. When next combined with the unique optical properties of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs), ANSBs were prepared on a lateral flow device. Ramos cells were used as a model target cell to demonstrate proof of principle. Under optimal conditions, the ANSB was capable of detecting a minimum of 4000 Ramos cells without instrumentation (visual judgment) and 800 Ramos cells with a portable strip reader within 15 min. Importantly, ANSB has successfully detected Ramos cells in human blood, thus providing a rapid, sensitive, and low-cost quantitative tool for the detection of circulating cancer cells. ANSB therefore shows great promise for in-field and point-of-care cancer diagnosis and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 510663. guodong.liu@ndsu.edu
authors.forename: Guodong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Lingwen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D008024:Ligands; D006046:Gold