Capture and selective release of multiple types of circulating tumor cells using smart DNAzyme probes

Abstract

The effective capture, release and reanalysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are of great significance to acquire tumor information and promote the progress of tumor therapy. Particularly, the selective release of multiple types of CTCs is critical to further study; however, it is still a great challenge. To meet this challenge, we designed a smart DNAzyme probe-based platform. By combining multiple targeting aptamers and multiple metal ion responsive DNAzymes, efficient capture and selective release of multiple types CTCs were realized. Sgc8c aptamer integrated Cu²⁺-dependent DNAzyme and TD05 aptamer integrated Mg²⁺-dependent DNAzyme can capture CCRF-CEM cells and Ramos cells respectively on the substrate. With the addition of Cu²⁺ or Mg²⁺, CCRF-CEM cells or Ramos cells will be released from the substrate with specific selectivity. Furthermore, our platform has been successfully demonstrated in the whole blood sample. Therefore, our capture/release platform will benefit research on the molecular analysis of CTCs after release and has great potential for cancer diagnosis and individualized treatment.