A Non-invasive and Cost-effective Sputum Assay for Lung Cancer Screening

该项目的目标是开发一种准确、可靠、具有成本效益和非侵入性的系统，用于筛查高危人群，以早期发现和监测肺癌。 鉴于目前肺癌筛查方法的高假阳性率（95%），有大量的侵入性活检和昂贵的两年随访检查，其本身的发病率和死亡率。因此，本研究项目的目标是开发一种能够准确检测肺癌细胞生物标志物的传感器设备。 整个系统集成了一个微型装置，称为微型环形谐振器，带有一个非常小的金颗粒，直径约为20纳米，涂有DNA，可以捕获肺癌细胞的生物标志物。 光的操纵用于在出现阳性测试结果时产生信号。 此外，该研究项目还通过招募、保留少数民族和女性本科生和研究生，为研究培训和指导提供支持，以满足在STEM领域实现更大多样性的需求。该研究项目的目标是开发集成痰非编码RNA（ncRNA）生物标志物的微环谐振器，作为肺癌识别元件，非小细胞肺癌的高灵敏度和选择性检测。由于具有圆形横截面和受控的纳米级缺陷，微环是开发多路复用光子生物传感器平台的绝佳候选者，该平台价格低廉，并可快速检测痰液中的ncRNA生物标志物。微环中的纳米级缺陷非常适合掺入生物识别元件以捕获低浓度的ncRNA。计划中的研究战略将把从全基因组转录组开发的新型转录组分析数据的优势转化为更简单的筛选测试，从而弥合基础研究和患者护理之间的差距。预计将使用基于微环的光子生物传感器产生一种新的床旁（POC）测试，用于准确和多重检测痰液中的ncRNA，痰液是一种方便的人体体液，用于非侵入性诊断。重要的是，光子生物传感器平台将具有优于现有技术的几个优点。 1)它是一种无标记、无扩增的方法，可以为ncRNA检测提供一种快速方法。 2)传感器平台可以同时监测多个目标。 3)与涉及热循环和微流体系统的传统技术相比，它可以显着减少多个miRNA检测的动手时间和反应时间，因为它利用捕获探针进行直接ncRNA检测。 4)它不需要温度循环。

The goal of this project is to develop an accurate, reliable, cost-effective and non-invasive system for screening of high-risk individuals for early detection and monitoring of lung cancer. Given the high false positive rate (95%) of the current methods used in lung cancer screening, there is a large number of referrals for invasive biopsies and expensive two-year follow-up examinations that carry their own morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the objective of this research project is to develop a sensor device that can detect biomarkers for lung cancer cells accurately. The overall system integrates a microdevice, called a microtoroid resonator, with a very small gold particle, that has a diameter of about twenty nanometers, coated with DNA that can capture biomarkers for lung cancer cells. The manipulation of light is used to generate a signal when a positive test result occurs. Additionally, this research project is providing support for research training and mentorship that address the need to achieve greater diversity in STEM fields through recruitment, retention of minority and female undergraduate and graduate students.The objective of this research project is to develop microtoroid resonators with integrated sputum non-coding RNA (ncRNA) biomarkers as lung cancer recognition elements for the robust, highly-sensitive and selective detection of non-small cell lung cancer. With circular cross-sections and controlled nanoscale defects, microtoroids are excellent candidates for the development of multiplexed photonic biosensor platform that is inexpensive and provide rapid detection of the ncRNA biomarkers in sputum. Nanoscale defects in microtoroids are well-suited for the incorporation of biorecognition elements to capture ncRNAs at low concentrations. The planned research strategy will translate the strengths of novel transcriptome profiling data developed from the whole-genome transcriptome into simpler screening tests, and thus bridge the gap between basic research and patient care. It is expected to produce a new point-of-care (POC) test using the microtoroid-based photonic biosensor, for accurate and multiplexed detection of ncRNAs in sputum, which is a convenient human body fluid for non-invasive diagnostics. Importantly, the photonic biosensor platform will have several advantages over existing techniques. 1) It is a label-free, amplification-free method and can provide a rapid method for ncRNA detection. 2) The sensor platform can monitor multiple targets simultaneously. 3) It can significantly reduce the hands-on time and reaction time for multiple miRNA detections compared to traditional techniques involving thermal cycling and microfluidic system, because it utilizes capture probes for direct ncRNA detection. 4) It does not require temperature cycling.