Issue 23, 2023

Label-free detection of MiRNA biomarkers using broadband multi-resonant infrared metasurfaces for early breast cancer diagnosis

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer globally. Early detection is crucial and can be achieved by detecting cancer biomarkers in blood, such as circulating miRNAs (microRNAs). In this study, we present a label-free detection method based on broadband multi-resonant infrared metasurface for surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy to detect miRNAs. The SEIRA resonances were optimized to match the miRNA biomarker fingerprint regions in the range of 800 to 2000 cm−1 and 2800 to 3500 cm−1, resulting in a simulated resonance enhancement of up to 103 times. Nine patient samples (six cancerous and three non-cancerous) were measured using SEIRA multi-well sensor chips. A novel analysis method, SEIRA-AR, was also developed to benchmark the results against industry standards, such as quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Our results showed an excellent linear correlation with a Pearson's r value of up to 0.99 and an R Squared value of up to 0.98. This study represents the first use of a SEIRA sensor for biomarker detection on clinical breast cancer samples and introduces an analysis method that produces results comparable to industry standards. Our findings pave the way for routine cancer diagnosis in the future. Additionally, the method discussed can be generalized to other biosensing activities involving two-step binding processes with complementary molecule-capturing agents.

Graphical abstract: Label-free detection of MiRNA biomarkers using broadband multi-resonant infrared metasurfaces for early breast cancer diagnosis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Marts 2023
Accepted
18 Maijs 2023
First published
24 Maijs 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale, 2023,15, 10057-10066

Label-free detection of MiRNA biomarkers using broadband multi-resonant infrared metasurfaces for early breast cancer diagnosis

S. Zhang, Q. Y. S. Wu, Y. F. Chen, M. Hum, D. C. L. Wong, E. Y. Tan, A. S. G. Lee, J. Teng, D. U.S and M. Olivo, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 10057 DOI: 10.1039/D3NR01369C

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