Early Diagnosis and Prognosis Prediction of Pancreatic Cancer Using Engineered Hybrid Core‐Shells in Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2024-05, Vol.36 (18), p.e2311431-n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Juxiang, Teng, Fei, Hu, Beiyuan, Liu, Wanshan, Huang, Yida, Wu, Jiao, Wang, Yuning, Su, Haiyang, Yang, Shouzhi, Zhang, Lumin, Guo, Lingchuan, Lei, Zhe, Yan, Meng, Xu, Xiaoyu, Wang, Ruimin, Bao, Qingui, Dong, Qiongzhu, Long, Jiang, Qian, Kun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cancer; Complex systems; Crystallization; Desorption; Diagnosis; Ionization; Mass spectrometry; metabolic biomarkers; Metabolites; nanomaterials; pancreatic cancer; Predictions; Prognosis; Silicon dioxide; Substrates; Zirconium dioxide
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202311431

Effective detection of bio‐molecules relies on the precise design and preparation of materials, particularly in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI‐MS). Despite significant advancements in substrate materials, the performance of single‐structured substrates remains suboptimal for LDI‐MS analysis of complex systems. Herein, designer Au@SiO2@ZrO2 core‐shell substrates are developed for LDI‐MS‐based early diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC). Through controlling Au core size and ZrO2 shell crystallization, signal amplification of metabolites up to 3 orders is not only achieved, but also the synergistic mechanism of the LDI process is revealed. The optimized Au@SiO2@ZrO2 enables a direct record of serum metabolic fingerprints (SMFs) by LDI‐MS. Subsequently, SMFs are employed to distinguish early PC (stage I/II) from controls, with an accuracy of 92%. Moreover, a prognostic prediction scoring system is established with enhanced efficacy in predicting PC survival compared to CA19‐9 (p < 0.05). This work contributes to material‐based cancer diagnosis and prognosis. This work develops designer Au@SiO2@ZrO2 core‐shells with tunable structural features for direct laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI‐MS) based recording of serum metabolic fingerprints (SMFs), enabling both early diagnosis and prognostic prediction of pancreatic cancer (PC). This work highlights the synergistic effect of core‐shell structures in LDI and offers insights into the material‐based cancer diagnosis and prognosis.