title: Multifunctional magnetic nanowires: A novel breakthrough for ultrasensitive detection and isolation of rare cancer cells from non-metastatic early breast cancer patients using small volumes of blood.
abstract: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are recognized as promising biomarkers for diagnosis and indication of the prognosis of several epithelial cancers. However, at present, CTC monitoring is available only for advanced-stage patients rather than for those at an early stage of cancer. This is because of the extraordinary rarity of CTCs and the limited sensitivity of current methods. Herein, we report the development of multifunctional magnetic nanowires for the efficient isolation and detection of CTCs from the blood of patients, especially those with non-metastatic early-stage cancer. The nanowires, which are equipped with a high density of magnetic nanoparticles and five different types of antibodies (Ab mixture_mPpyNWs), offer a significant improvement in cell-isolation efficiency, even from very small amounts of blood (250 μL-1 mL). Notably, CTCs were isolated and identified in 29 out of 29 patients (100%) with non-metastatic early breast cancer, indicating that this procedure allowed detection of CTCs with greater accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. In addition, we demonstrated in situ "naked eye" identification of the captured cancer cells via a simple colorimetric immunoassay. Our results show that antibody-functionalized magnetic nanowires offer great potential for a broad range of practical clinical applications, including early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging & Therapy Branch, National Cancer Center, 111 Jungbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, South Korea.
authors.forename: Wooyoung
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging & Therapy Branch, National Cancer Center, 111 Jungbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sooyeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center, 111 Jungbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Center for Breast Cancer, National Cancer Center, 111 Jungbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Sook
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Molecular Imaging & Therapy Branch, National Cancer Center, 111 Jungbalsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do 410-769, South Korea. Electronic address: yncho@ncc.re.kr.
authors.forename: Youngnam
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000379:methods; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D058948:Cell Tracking / Q000379:methods*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008422:Materials Testing; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D010316:Particle Size; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D058185:Magnetite Nanoparticles
keywords: Breast cancer; Circulating tumor cells; Colorimetric detection; Conducting polymer; Magnetic nanowire