CRISPR/Cas-based detection strategies for tumor biomarker detection

Tumor biomarkers, such as nucleic acids, proteins, extracellular vesicles (EVs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs), can provide valuable information for tumor risk assessment, diagnosis, prognosis and recurrence monitoring. Currently, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approaches and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are typically used for detecting tumor biomarkers in clinics. However, PCR-based methods have limits in sensitivity and detection channels. Besides, ELISA suffers from cumbersome operation and limited sensitivity. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) systems are adopted for developing novel detection strategies due to the characteristics of high sensitivity, high specificity, simple operability and flexible programmability. Besides, CRISPR/Cas systems are amenable to combination with isothermal amplification techniques, primarily attributed to their compatibility and stability. Moreover, the combination of different CRISPR/Cas systems enables multiplex target detection. Therefore, CRISPR/Cas-based detection strategies have emerged as highly promising approaches for the sensitive, specific and multiplex detection of tumor biomarkers. In this review, we at first introduced the classification and working mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas systems. And then, we comprehensively summarized recently developed CRISPR/Cas-based detection strategies for tumor biomarkers. Besides, we reviewed detection strategies based on CRISPR/Cas systems for multiplex tumor biomarker detection. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects of existing CRISPR/Cas-based detection strategies were thoroughly discussed.