ac-EHD provides fluid motion induced by an electric field with the ability to generate surface shear forces in nanometer distance to the biosensing surface (known as nanoshearing phenomenon). Of the latter, our group has exploited the use of alternating current electrohydrodynamic (ac-EHD) fluid flows as an efficient strategy to reduce nonspecific nontarget biosensor binding and speed-up assay times. To reduce sample matrix interferences, ingenious device modifications including coatings and nanoscopic fluid flow manipulation have been developed. To address the need for trace level detection, highly sensitive fluorescence, absorbance, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), electrochemical, mass spectrometric, and chemiluminescence approaches were developed. An inherit challenge of monitoring personalized cancer treatment using miniaturized systems is that cancer biomarkers are often only detectable at trace concentrations present in a complex biological sample rich in interfering molecules, necessitating highly specific and sensitive biosensing strategies. As such, this concept is also often referred to as “lab-on-a-chip”.
Miniaturized systems can combine a whole sample-to-answer workflow including sample handling, preparation, analysis, and detection. These devices require only minute sample volumes and have the capability to create instant cancer snapshots that could be used as tool for cancer risk indication, early detection, tumor classification, and recurrence. The advances in nanotechnology, microfluidics, and biomarker research have spurred the development of powerful miniaturized diagnostic systems that show high potential for use in personalized cancer treatment.
To advise a suitable therapy plan and adjust personalized treatment, a reliable and fast diagnostic strategy is required. The shift from treating cancer as single disease to tailoring the therapy based on the individual’s characteristic cancer profile promises to improve the clinical outcome and has also given rise to the field of personalized cancer treatment. Over the years, this image has shifted, and it is now generally accepted that cancer is a complex and dynamic disease that engages multiple progression pathways in each patient. Historically, cancer was seen and treated as a single disease.
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