Highly Efficient Capture and Electrochemical Release of Circulating Tumor Cells by Using Aptamers Modified Gold Nanowire Arrays

The effective capture and release of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is of significant importance in cancer prognose and treatment. Here we report a highly efficient method to capture and release human leukemic lymphoblasts (CCRF-CEM) using aptamers modified gold nanowire arrays (AuNWs). The gold nanowires, showing tunable morphologies from relatively random pillar deposit to relatively uniform arrays, were fabricated by electrochemical deposition using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as template. Upon simply being modified with aptamers by Au–S chemistry, the AuNWs exhibit higher specificity to target cells. Also compared to flat gold substrate, the AuNWs with nanostructure can capture target cells with much higher capture yield. Moreover, the captured CCRF-CEM cells can be released from AuNWs efficiently with little damage through an electrochemical desorption process. We predict that our strategy has great potential in providing a simple and economical platform for CTCs isolation, cancer diagnosis, and therapy.