3D quantum biosensor for multiple cancer screening and early diagnosis

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Blood plasma has long been considered an ideal approach for screening multiple cancer types for its noninvasive nature. However, blood-based tests suffer poor diagnostic accuracy due to the low concentration of tumor-associated molecules. There are few commercially available blood-test kits for cancer screening, and the accuracy is far from satisfactory. The applicants invented a quantum-dots sensor enhanced Raman biomolecular analysis tool, sensitive enough to probe multiple biomarkers directly from blood plasma with high repeatability. With a single blood test, a complete profile of cancer, including the presence of cancer, the primary location of the tumor, quantification of metastasis, and progression, can be reported with a computerized diagnosis. Preliminary experiments have classified cancer types with a sensitivity of 83% ~100% and specificity of 80% ~ 100%, dependent on the type of biomarker. Cancer progression to nodes was predicted with a specificity of 92%. We believe that diagnostic accuracy can be raised close to 100% by integrating multiple biomarkers into the diagnosis algorithm. This project aims to develop the quantum-dots sensor enhanced Raman analyzer into a viable clinical tool for cancer screening/early diagnosis. The outcome of this project is a quantum biosensor aided microscopy-based blood test that is easy to use, cost-effective and is applicable towards multiple cancer types.The proposed blood test can report a complete tumor profile within an hour after blood withdrawal. With high accuracy, low cost, short turnaround, easy operation, and applicability to multiple cancer types, this strategy will be readily implemented in the clinical setting. It can be used for screening/early diagnosis as well as to provide guidance for clinical intervention. This ground-breaking technology potentially will lead to a universal cancer diagnosis test that applies to half of all cancer cases, increase cancer screening participation rate, and provide a screening method for cancer types that currently cannot be screened.