Improving outcomes for cancer patients during treatment
and monitoring
for cancer recurrence requires personalized care which can only be
achieved through regular surveillance for biomarkers. Unfortunately,
routine detection for blood-based biomarkers is cost-prohibitive using
currently specialized laboratories. Using a rapid self-assembly sensing
interface amenable to methods of mass production, we demonstrate the
ability to detect and quantify a small carbohydrate-based cancer biomarker,
Tn antigen (αGalNAc-Ser/Thr) in a small volume of blood, using
a test format strip reminiscent of a blood glucose test. The detection
of Tn antigen at picomolar levels is achieved through a new transduction
mechanism based on the impact of Tn antigen interactions on the molecular
dynamic motion of a lectin cross-linked lubricin antifouling brush.
In tests performed on retrospective blood plasma samples from patients
presenting three different tumor types, differentiation between healthy
and diseased patients was achieved, highlighting the clinical potential
for cancer monitoring.
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