CD BioSciences has developed a variety of optical-based, real-time biophysical assays to provide our clients with tumour cell detection services, including differentiating tumour cells from normal cells and detecting and quantifying tumour biomarkers. We are committed to providing scientific services and technical support for basic research and preclinical drug development.

Background

Cancer is the collective name for a large group of malignant tumours and is the second leading cause of death worldwide after cardiovascular disease. Early diagnosis of cancer is important to reduce morbidity and mortality as well as to alleviate the suffering and emotional and financial burden on patients. A variety of optical-based methods have been used to identify, detect, classify and quantify tumour cells. These have the advantage of being non-invasive, rapid, accurate and with high spatial resolution compared to conventional methods.

Fig.1 The proliferation of human cancer cells.

Tumour Cell Differentiation And Identification

Traditional methods used to identify tumour cells from normal cells are often slow, non-specific and biologically intrusive. The introduction of Raman spectroscopy in tumour identification avoids these drawbacks and provides rich information on the molecular structure and composition of the material in a non-invasive form, reflecting the structural differences between cancerous and normal tissue at the molecular level. We have established various techniques such as micro Raman spectroscopy and laser tweezer Raman spectroscopy (LTRS) to provide tumour cell detection for our clients.

• We provide biomolecular fingerprints of different cell types by single-cell Raman spectroscopy and identify cells by their biomolecular differences.
• We assess the spatial variability within individual cells by Raman characterization of several regions within a single cell.
• We perform principal component analysis on Raman spectra to classify cells into different clusters for cancer cell detection and differentiation.

Biomarker-Based Cancer Analysis

Tumour cells produce and release certain substances, often in the form of antigens, enzymes, hormones and other metabolites, either within the tumour cells or in the host body fluid. Biomarker detection is a proven method to provide accurate biological information to identify or diagnose tumours. We have developed a variety of biophysical techniques to detect and quantify cancer biomarkers through liquid biopsies to detect disease progression. We offer the following detection services:

• Detection of miRNA.
• Detection of exosomes or extracellular vesicles.
• Detection of circulating tumour cells and tumour DNA.
• Detection of protein biomarkers.

The technologies we offer include but are not limited to:

• Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based biomarker detection.
  We have developed SPR and localized SPR (LSPR) based platforms to detect different classes of cancer biomarkers.
• Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) based biomarker detection.
  We have developed SERS nanosensors based on bare plasma nanoparticles and Raman probes for the detection of cancer biomarkers, including label-free SERS and encoded-SERS. we have also developed other techniques in combination with SERS for tumour identification, such as liquid chromatography combined with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (LC-SERS).
• Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRF) based biomarker detection.
• Mass spectrometry-based biomarker detection.

Fig.2 SERS detection of cancer biomarkers by SERS-encoded nanoparticles. (Blanco-Formoso, 2020)

Applications

• Skin cancer detection
• Nasopharyngeal and lung cancer detection
• Stomach and colon cancer detection
• Breast cancer detection
• Prostate cancer detection

With an advanced technology platform and a professional research team, CD BioSciences provides tumour cell detection, identification and quantification services to our clients. We are committed to the continuous improvement of our technology and equipment and the optimization of our data analysis capabilities to provide a wide range of biophysical analysis services to our clients. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more details.

Reference

1. Blanco-Formoso, M.; Alvarez-Puebla, R. A. Cancer diagnosis through SERS and other related techniques. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2020, 21(6): 2253.

• Impedance Measurements for Biomedical Research
• Analysis of Iron-Containing Biomolecules
• Biophysical Measurement of Red Blood Cells
• Detection of Insulin and Glucagon
• Characterization of Bionanomaterials
• Monitoring of Drug Release
• Development of Tumor-Targeted Contrast Agent
• In Vivo Imaging Services for Biomedical Research
• Development of Optical Biosensors for Infectious Disease Diagnosis
• Mechanical Characterization of Biological Cells
• Characterization of Heart Mitochondria
• Evaluation of Biophysical Properties of Bone Tissue
• High-Resolution Imaging and Characterization of Various Biomolecules