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Detection of HER2 + Breast Cancer Cells using Bioinspired DNA‐Based Signal Amplification
Author(s) -
Rafiee Sarah D.,
Kocabey Samet,
Mayer Michael,
List Jonathan,
Rüegg Curzio
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemmedchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.817
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1860-7187
pISSN - 1860-7179
DOI - 10.1002/cmdc.201900697
Subject(s) - circulating tumor cell , cancer cell , trastuzumab , breast cancer , dna , cancer research , cancer , fluorescence , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , biology , metastasis , biochemistry , genetics , physics , quantum mechanics
Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are promising biomarkers for metastatic cancer detection and monitoring progression. However, detection of CTCs remains challenging due to their low frequency and heterogeneity. Herein, we report a bioinspired approach to detect individual cancer cells, based on a signal amplification cascade using a programmable DNA hybridization chain reaction (HCR) circuit. We applied this approach to detect HER2 + cancer cells using the anti‐HER2 antibody (trastuzumab) coupled to initiator DNA eliciting a HCR cascade that leads to a fluorescent signal at the cell surface. At 4 °C, this HCR detection scheme resulted in highly efficient, specific and sensitive signal amplification of the DNA hairpins specifically on the membrane of the HER2 + cells in a background of HER2 − cells and peripheral blood leukocytes, which remained almost non‐fluorescent. The results indicate that this system offers a new strategy that may be further developed toward an in vitro diagnostic platform for the sensitive and efficient detection of CTC.