title: Rapid and sensitive detection of cancer cells by coupling with quantum dots and immunomagnetic separation at low concentrations.
abstract: This work presents a rapid and sensitive method for detecting cancer cells at low concentration. In this method, two biomarkers of T-help cancer cells are detected simultaneously. One biomarker is conjugated with magnetic beads to separate T-help cell from the mixed cells and the other biomarker, associated with quantum dots, is used to detect fluorescence. The specific T-help cells can be quantified using the relationship between the QD fluorescence intensity and the cell frequency following magnetic separation. The intensity of fluorescence increases linearly with the frequency of T-help cells from 10(-7) to 10(-3), and neither B cells nor red blood cells interfere with the detection of T-help cells. Moreover, the total detection time is under 15 min, even though the frequency of specific T-help cells is as low as 5×10(-7). The numerous advantages of detecting specific cells at low concentration using the presented method include ease of preparation, low cost, fast detection, and high sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, 101 Hsin-Ann Road, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Heui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Lee-Jene
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Shih-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Keng S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D002452:Cell Count; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006801:Humans; D018189:Immunomagnetic Separation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity