Highly accurate and label-free discrimination of single cancer cell using a plasmonic oxide-based nanoprobe

• Published in: Biosensors & bioelectronics 2022-02, Vol.198, p.113814-113814, Article 113814
• Main Authors: Zhang, Bao Yue, Yin, Pengju, Hu, Yihong, Szydzik, Crispin, Khan, Muhammad Waqas, Xu, Kai, Thurgood, Peter, Mahmood, Nasir, Dekiwadia, Chaitali, Afrin, Sanjida, Yang, Yunyi, Ma, Qijie, McConville, Chris F., Khoshmanesh, Khashayar, Mitchell, Arnan, Hu, Bo, Baratchi, Sara, Ou, Jian Zhen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biosensing Techniques; Colorimetric cell detection; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Metal Nanoparticles; Neoplasms - diagnosis; Oxides; Plasmon oxide; Single cell detection; Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
• ISSN: 0956-5663; 1873-4235
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2021.113814

The detection of cancer cells at the single-cell level enables many novel functionalities such as next-generation cancer prognosis and accurate cellular analysis. While surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been widely considered as an effective tool in a low-cost and label-free manner, however, it is challenging to discriminate single cancer cells with an accuracy above 90% mainly due to the poor biocompatibility of the noble-metal-based SERS agents. Here, we report a dual-functional nanoprobe based on dopant-driven plasmonic oxides, demonstrating a maximum accuracy above 90% in distinguishing single THP-1 cell from peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) and human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 from human macrophage cell line U937 based on their SERS patterns. Furthermore, this nanoprobe can be triggered by the bio-redox response from individual cells towards stimuli, empowering another complementary colorimetric cell detection, approximately achieving the unity discrimination accuracy at a single-cell level. Our strategy could potentially enable the future accurate and low-cost detection of cancer cells from mixed cell samples. •Plasmonic oxide (PO) exhibits both SERS and colorimetric detection capabilities.•PO is highly biocompatible and ultra-sensitive towards cellular redox reactions.•The maximum accuracy of single cancer cell SERS detection is consistently above 90%.