Molecular Stratification and Treatment Monitoring of Lung Cancer Using a Small Extracellular Vesicle-Activated Nanocavity Architecture

Development of molecular diagnostics for lung cancer stratification and monitoring is crucial for the rational planning and timely adjustment of treatments to improve clinical outcomes. In this regard, we propose a nanocavity architecture to sensitively profile the protein signature on small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) to enable accurate, noninvasive staging and treatment monitoring of lung cancer. The nanocavity architecture is formed by molecular recognition through the binding of sEVs with the nanobox-based core-shell surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) barcodes and mirrorlike, asymmetric gold microelectrodes. By imposing an alternating current on the gold microelectrodes, a nanofluidic shear force was stimulated that supported the binding of sEVs and the efficient assembly of the nanoboxes. The binding of sEVs further induced a nanocavity between the nanobox and the gold microelectrode that significantly amplified the electromagnetic field to enable the simultaneous enhancement of Raman signals from four SERS barcodes and generate patient-specific molecular sEV signatures. Importantly, evaluated on a cohort of clinical samples (n = 76) on the nanocavity architecture, the acquired patient-specific sEV molecular signatures achieved accurate identification, stratification, and treatment monitoring of lung cancer patients, highlighting its potential for transition to clinical utility.