Progress and challenges in biomarker enrichment for cancer early detection

Abstract

Cancer cells generate and secrete diverse molecules into circulation that could be used as signatures for health and disease. A significant obstacle in detecting such molecules derives from their low signal-to-noise ratio in subsequent downstream analyses. Developing reliable tools and methods for cancer early detection is crucial for advancing global strategies to decrease mortality, monitor disease progression and therapy, and improve the quality of life of patients. This perspective critically addresses recent developments in cancer early detection, highlighting current trends in the enrichment of cancer-related biomarkers, dividing them into biochemical and biophysical methods. Finally, we provide insights into the challenges and opportunities in biomarker isolation and enrichment protocols. Integrating these methods into clinical decision-making pipelines could lead to a better understanding of cancer progression, treatment efficacy, and hence improving the medical outcomes for cancer patients.

Shining a Light on Cancer—Photonics in Microfluidic Tumor Modeling and Biosensing

“…Together with their enrichment, detecting such targets in the earliest stages of cancer may provide additional treatment windows and life‐saving procedures hindered by late‐stage disease. [ 28 ] This section reviews some of the more recent advances in optical cancer biosensing. Even though some discussed approaches have been explored as direct diagnostic tools, they still present the miniaturization and high‐throughput potential to be included within microfluidic setups, and considerations for that integration are also outlined.…”

“…Microfluidic optical detection has also seen significant development over the past years, with light being employed to detect a wide array of biotargets, from proteins and nucleic acids to rare circulating tumor cells and cell-derived vesicles. [26][27][28][29] This review presents an overview of all these topics, focusing on recent advances in the use of photonics for the guidance and manipulation of biological materials and cells, a tool to advance microfluidic cancer research from three main perspectives: 1) Light-driven recreation of cancer-like environments, 2) Optofluidics and real-time photonics for digitalizing biological responses, and 3) Optical biosensing in cancer microfluidics. By providing a comprehensive analysis of the roles of photonics in cancer recapitulation, from construct fabrication to the final examination and quantification of biological events, this multidisciplinary review attempts to outline the current avenues in microfluidic cancer research.…”

“…Microfluidic optical detection has also seen significant development over the past years, with light being employed to detect a wide array of biotargets, from proteins and nucleic acids to rare circulating tumor cells and cell‐derived vesicles. [ 26–29 ]…”

Integrated “lab-on-a-chip” microfluidic systems for isolation, enrichment, and analysis of cancer biomarkers

“…17 Novel techniques based on a variety of conventional and microfluidic technological approaches have been developed to isolate and enrich biomarkers, and these can be broadly classified into biochemical and biophysical methods. 18 Biochemical techniques make use of affinity-based capture, using molecules such as enzymes, antibodies and aptamers that recognize and bind directly to the biomarker of interest with high specificity and sensitivity. The biomarkers can be captured and isolated from the biological fluid by either creating an affinity matrix using capturing agents/binders, 19 or making use of binder-functionalized magnetic beads.…”

Robotic Pill for Biomarker and Fluid Sampling in the Gastrointestinal Tract

“…[1][2][3] The collection and analysis of such signatures can serve as an early sign of disease initiation and its progression through repeated sampling. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to isolate or sample biomarkers from regions of the body with limited accessibility, such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which is more than 9 meters in total length. [11,12] To gain access to these challenging locations, invasive medical procedures, such as surgery, biopsies, and colonoscopies, are required to extract information, limiting the repeatability of such measurements.…”