NanoSABERs Developed To Help Fight Against Cancer, Allows Cell Visualization for Improved Tumor Imaging

Early diagnosis focuses on detecting symptomatic patients as early as possible to get the best chance for successful cancer treatment. In the future, healthcare providers may look at tumors in ways that never have been possible before, thanks to researchers from Johns Hopkins University.

Sensing Platform for Tumor Detection

Tissue biopsies are currently the standard for detecting most cancer cells. However, they can be inaccurate and even miss parts of tumors that lurk in the margins. To solve this challenge, researchers Ishan Barman and Jeff W. Bulte led a team of scientists in creating infinitesimal probes that allow clinicians to visualize cancerous activity across entire tumors. This approach can provide insight into their possible aggressiveness.

As clinicians seek to crush cancer, they may wield minuscule molecular self-assembling biorthogonal enzyme recognition (nanoSABER) probes, which light up upon encountering certain enzymes found in cancer cells. This ability to visualize tumors early in their entirety can enhance cancer imaging and improve patient outcomes. The method was inspired by the process used by the cells in assembling proteins.

Enzymes, particularly legumain, play a significant role in the development and progression of cancer. The new tool created by the team assembles itself in the presence of cancer-related enzymes. Then, it releases a signal that can be picked up by Raman spectroscopy, a visualization method that analyzes molecular vibrations to identify and characterize substances. This strategy allows the probes to locate cancer cells accurately.

To ensure complete cancer removal and minimize the chances of recurrence, it is important to understand what is happening at the tumor margins. According to lead author Swati Tanwar, the ability of the probe to provide a clear look at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels offers a comprehensive perspective. Their study demonstrates the potential of nanoSABER as an applicable platform for a range of targets for Raman-based detection and assessment of treatment efficacy.

The research team is confident that their method can enable clinicians to monitor the accumulation of cancer cells in tumors more accurately during treatment. It can, therefore, indicate how well the treatments are working.

Role of Enzymes in Cancer Detection

There has been growing evidence regarding the close relationship between cancer-cell invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis with dysregulation of enzyme expression. Because of this, sensitive visualization of enzyme activity within the complex biological environment has become necessary in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer.

Enzymes are suited for cleaving a specific peptide bond across all life forms, with remarkable spatiotemporal control. This catalytic ability has inspired the development of novel synthetic peptide-based molecular imaging nanoprobes with a natural tendency for self-assembly interacting with particular enzymes.

The method of injecting small sensing molecules that assemble into larger nanoprobes in situ reduces efflux, increases intracellular accumulation, and allows durable signals for imaging. However, the clinical translation of this method has remained elusive due to challenges such as in vivo toxicity and perturbation to the biological environment due to metallic nanoparticles.