A multi-cancer metamaterial biosensor: refractive index-based identification of malignant cells

IF 4 3区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Optical and Quantum Electronics Pub Date : 2025-09-15 DOI:10.1007/s11082-025-08436-1

Nedjmeddine Mellak, Bouchra Moulfi, Tahar Aliouar

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This research introduces a novel biosensor based on terahertz (THz) metamaterials, aimed at highly sensitive, label-free, and non-invasive detection of cancer. Utilizing the distinctive characteristics of THz metamaterials, the biosensor examines the variations in the refractive index of biological samples, offering an accurate instrument for early cancer diagnosis. The biosensor achieves impressive functionality with a sensitivity of 892 GHz/RIU, a quality factor (Q) of 57.7, and a figure of merit of 18.98 RIU⁻¹, and operates at a resonance frequency of 2.688 THz. With a groundbreaking design refined through the full finite element method, the sensor exhibits an absorption rate of 98% and can effectively identify subtle changes in the refractive index linked to several cancer types, such as Jurkat blood, HeLa cervical, PC-12 adrenal gland, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancers, along with basal skin cancer. This biosensor marks a significant leap forward in THz-based medical diagnostics, providing a compact, lab-on-chip compatible unit for swift, dependable, and early cancer detection at the cellular scale.

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一种多癌超材料生物传感器：基于折射率的恶性细胞识别

本研究介绍了一种基于太赫兹（THz）超材料的新型生物传感器，旨在实现高灵敏度、无标签、无创的癌症检测。利用太赫兹超材料的独特特性，生物传感器检测生物样品折射率的变化，为早期癌症诊断提供准确的仪器。该生物传感器具有令人印象深刻的功能，灵敏度为892 GHz/RIU，质量因子(Q)为57.7，优点系数为18.98 RIU−1，工作频率为2.688 THz。该传感器采用全有限元法改进的突破性设计，具有98%的吸收率，可以有效识别与几种癌症类型相关的折射率的细微变化，如Jurkat血癌、HeLa宫颈癌、PC-12肾上腺癌、MDA-MB-231和MCF-7乳腺癌，以及基底皮肤癌。这种生物传感器标志着基于太赫兹的医学诊断的重大飞跃，它提供了一种紧凑的、芯片上的实验室兼容单元，可以在细胞尺度上进行快速、可靠和早期的癌症检测。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Optical and Quantum Electronics 工程技术-工程：电子与电气

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

20.00%

发文量

810

审稿时长

3.8 months

期刊介绍： Optical and Quantum Electronics provides an international forum for the publication of original research papers, tutorial reviews and letters in such fields as optical physics, optical engineering and optoelectronics. Special issues are published on topics of current interest. Optical and Quantum Electronics is published monthly. It is concerned with the technology and physics of optical systems, components and devices, i.e., with topics such as: optical fibres; semiconductor lasers and LEDs; light detection and imaging devices; nanophotonics; photonic integration and optoelectronic integrated circuits; silicon photonics; displays; optical communications from devices to systems; materials for photonics (e.g. semiconductors, glasses, graphene); the physics and simulation of optical devices and systems; nanotechnologies in photonics (including engineered nano-structures such as photonic crystals, sub-wavelength photonic structures, metamaterials, and plasmonics); advanced quantum and optoelectronic applications (e.g. quantum computing, memory and communications, quantum sensing and quantum dots); photonic sensors and bio-sensors; Terahertz phenomena; non-linear optics and ultrafast phenomena; green photonics.