Integrated Acoustofluidic Plasmonic Molecular Diagnostic System for Detecting MicroRNA Biomarkers

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ABSTRACT The goal of this project is to develop an Integrated acoustofluidic plasmonic molecular diagnostic system designed for rapid isolation, detection and multiplexed identification of circulating exosomal microRNA (miRNA) biomarkers in human clinical samples for early detection of diseases. Dysregulation of miRNAs is often observed in various diseases including cancer, cardiovascular illnesses, and infectious diseases. For instance, recent studies have also demonstrated that miRNAs can be secreted from tumor cells into bloodstream via exosomes, and their expression profiles can be used to classify cancer types. Therefore, circulating exosomal miRNAs are considered promising biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis of cancer. However, these small molecules have not been adopted into clinical practice because of the technical difficulties involved in the isolation of exosomes and the analysis of exosomal miRNAs. Thus, there is a need to develop alternative analyzing strategies that could offer more advantages over conventional methods. In this regard, we propose an integrated acoustofluidic plasmonic molecular diagnostic system designed for rapid isolation and multiplexed detection of exosomal miRNA biomarkers. The cross-disciplinary approach will provide new capabilities to advance the precise clinical diagnosis of cancer. This system integrates two unique but proven technologies: (1) the acoustofluidic technology that can rapidly isolate exosomes with high yield and purity, and (2) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based “Inverse Molecular Sentinel” (iMS) nanoprobes for direct miRNA detection. Although miRNAs related to colorectal cancer (CRC) will be used as the model system, the proposed project will lead to the development of a generally applicable point-of-care diagnostic technology for other types of diseases. The specific aims are: (1) Develop and integrate an acoustofluidic system for exosomal miRNA isolation; (2) Develop iMS nanoprobes for multiplexed detection of exosomal miRNA biomarkers; and (3) Technical Evaluation of the SERS-acoustofluidic system. We will build upon the combined knowledge of our interdisciplinary team and establish the technical validation required to ready this integrated technology for use in clinical settings. Throughout this project, an integrated acoustofluidic plasmonic system will be developed and validated for in-situ analysis of multiple exosomal miRNAs from clinical samples without the need for miRNA extraction and amplification. In the technical validation phase, the result will be compared to that obtained using conventional assays (e.g. qRT-PCR). The proposed system will lead to a no-sample preparation and “sample- to-answer” analysis approach that is based on the integration of existing sub-components, many of which have already been separately tested in similar applications. This new integrated molecular diagnostic system is capable of enhancing research and translation in the areas of early detection and screening of various cancers beyond CRC, and is ultimately well suited for point-of-care. The proposed molecular analysis system represents a major innovation that has a transformative potential in biomedical research, diagnostics and screening.