Digital platforms enabling single-molecule analysis for cancer detection
Junrong Li, Zhen Zhang, Matt Trau, Alain Wuethrich
Abstract
The current paradigm of cancer management relies on imaging modalities and tissue biopsy to characterize the tumor landscape and devise treatment. As a complementary approach to non-invasive cancer detection, liquid biopsy is gaining interest through the detection of biomarkers circulating in body fluids. However, the wider use of liquid biopsy in the clinical setting is often hindered by technologies that can reliably and sensitively detect trace biomarkers in bodily fluids. As one of the most promising emerging technologies, digital single-molecule platforms (DSMPs) offer unparalleled sensitivity using digital read-out that is poised to improve current cancer management. This review provides an overview of the recent development in DSMPs based on digital ELISA, digital flow cytometry, digital surface-enhanced Raman scattering and other emerging DSMPs for circulating cancer biomarker detection, especially for those that were evaluated on a clinical cancer cohort. DSMPs are well-positioned to address the challenges of studying cancer heterogeneity and trace biomarker discovery with outcomes expected to deliver new tools for cancer screening, treatment monitoring, and tumor recurrence detection.