Detection of lung cancer cells in solutions using a terahertz chemical microscope

Cancer genome analysis has recently attracted attention for personalized cancer treatment. In this treatment, evaluation of the ratio of cancer cells in a specimen tissue is essential for the precise analysis of the genome. Conventionally, the evaluation takes at least two days and depends on the skill of the pathologist. In our group, a terahertz chemical microscope (TCM) was developed to easily and quickly measure the number of cancer cells in a solution. In this study, an antibody was immobilized on a sensing plate using an avidin-biotin reaction to immobilize it for high density and to improve antibody alignment. In addition, as the detected terahertz signals vary depending on the sensitivity of the sensing plate, the sensitivity was evaluated using pH measurement. The result of the cancer cell detection was corrected using the result of pH measurement. These results indicate that a TCM is expected to be an excellent candidate for liquid biopsies in cancer diagnosis.