Amplification-free SERS analysis of DNA mutation in cancer cells with single-base sensitivity. Issue 16 (5th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Lei; Garrido-Maestu, Alejandro; Guerreiro, Joana R. L.; Carvalho, Sandra; Abalde-Cela, Sara; Prado, Marta; Diéguez, Lorena
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale. Volume 11:Issue 16(2019)
• Page Start: 7781
• Page End: 7789
• Publication Date: 2019-04-05
• Subjects: Nanoscience -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1039/c9nr00501c
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-3364

Abstract

Abstract : An amplification-free SERS chip for cellular DNA mutation analysis has been developed. Abstract : Accurate and sensitive identification of DNA mutations in tumor cells is critical to the diagnosis, prognosis and personalized therapy of cancer. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods are limited by the complicated amplification process. Herein, an amplification-free surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) approach which directly detects point mutations in cancer cells has been proposed. A highly sensitive and uniform SERS substrate was fabricated using gold@silver core–shell nanorods, achieving an enhancement factor of 1.85 × 10 6 . By combining the SERS-active nanosubstrate with molecular beacon probes, the limit of detection reached as low as 50 fM. To enable parallel analysis and automated operation, the SERS sensor was integrated into a microfluidic chip. This novel chip-based assay was able to differentiate between mutated and wild-type KRAS genes among a variety of other nucleic acids from cancer cells in 40 min. Owing to the simple operation and fast analysis, the SERS-based DNA assay chip could potentially provide insights into clinical cancer theranostics in an easy and inexpensive manner at the point of care.