Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-23DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100539
Rokhsareh Ebrahimi , Mohammad Hasanzadeh , Nasrin Shadjou
{"title":"Non-invasive electrochemical sensing of toluidine blue in human saliva using silver conductive ink stabilized on paper substrate: A new platform in portable sensor technology","authors":"Rokhsareh Ebrahimi , Mohammad Hasanzadeh , Nasrin Shadjou","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100539","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100539","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we developed a novel paper-based electrochemical microsensor for label-free TB detection using conducting silver nano-inks stabilized on the on the surface of photography paper. The silver ink stabilized on the surface of paper which maintained suitable conductivity and structural integrity after repeated bending, indicating excellent flexibility. In addition, the electrodes maintained stable conductivity (resistance of 5.2 Ω) and LED performance at 100 °C, indicating the thermal flexibility of the cellulose modified by ink due to the strong interaction of AgNPs with cellulose substrate. Also, exposure to moisture had minimal effect on the electrical properties, such that the brightness and LED resistance (1.7 Ω, ΔR = 2.7 Ω) remained stable, confirming the moisture resistance of the ink. The electrodes also dried immediately after drawing without requiring more time or temperatures, which was one of the advantages of our synthetic ink. The developed microscale sensor can accurately detect the concentration of salivary TB in the linear range of 10–1000 nM, with a lower limit of quantification of 10 nM, which is considered as suitable range for clinical and diagnostic applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100539"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144904571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-22DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100535
Patrick J. Herchenbach , Ethan Gomez , Dale Mee , Charles S. Henry , Erin M. Gross
{"title":"Portable electrochemiluminescent detection system with 3D printed materials and mobile phone detection","authors":"Patrick J. Herchenbach , Ethan Gomez , Dale Mee , Charles S. Henry , Erin M. Gross","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100535","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100535","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>3D printing offers advantages and novel opportunities for the analytical chemistry laboratory. The method presented here used 3D printed materials as the substrates for electrochemiluminescent sensors and used 3D printing to construct a portable housing for the sensors that not only aligns the sensor to the detector but provides a light-tight environment for the luminescence measurement. This work evaluated four different 3D-printed plastics as substrate materials for sensors fabricated from stencil-printed carbon-ink electrodes (SPCE’s). SPCE chips were fabricated that incorporated an electrochemical cell onto three different plastics printed via fused deposition modeling and a plastic printed using stereolithography printing. The chips were used to develop an ECL detection method with the luminophore tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) [Ru(bpy)<sub>3</sub><sup>2+</sup>] and 2-(dibutylamino)ethanol (DBAE). The ECL reaction between Ru(bpy)<sub>3</sub><sup>2+</sup> and DBAE was used to optimize a chip-based ECL detection method for amine-containing species. The limits of detection (S/<em>N</em> = 3) for DBAE on the four different substrates were similar, ranging from 3 – 4 μM. The method was applied to the detection of the biogenic amine spermidine. The method had a detection limit of ∼130 μM for spermidine. With goals of accessibility and portability, the method also utilized a mobile phone detector, and portability was demonstrated with the use of a USB power supply to generate the voltage for the ECL reaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100535"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144911959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100532
Larissa Gil Lucas , Eduardo Constante Martins , Pãmyla Layene dos Santos , João Paulo Winiarski , Edson Roberto Santana , Iolanda Cruz Vieira , Almir Spinelli
{"title":"3D-printed carbon black-based electrode for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid and kojic acid in dermo-cosmetic products","authors":"Larissa Gil Lucas , Eduardo Constante Martins , Pãmyla Layene dos Santos , João Paulo Winiarski , Edson Roberto Santana , Iolanda Cruz Vieira , Almir Spinelli","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A miniaturized and disposable poly(lactic acid)-carbon black-based working electrode (3D CB-PLA) was developed using 3D printing technology through fused filament fabrication to be applied to the simultaneous analysis of the antioxidant compounds ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and kojic acid. A previous chemical/electrochemical activation of the 3D CB-PLA electrode was carried out in 1.0 mol L<sup>−1</sup> NaOH, applying a fixed potential of +1.0 V <em>vs</em>. Ag/AgCl, KCl<sub>(sat)</sub> for 1800 s. This procedure was necessary to remove a smooth layer of PLA polymer on the electrode surface and to allow the carbon black conductive sites to be exposed. Morphological and spectroscopic characterizations performed before and after activation revealed a rougher surface with an increased presence of oxygenated functional groups, attributed to both the activation process and the enhanced exposure of carbon black. Using cyclic voltammetry in 0.1 mol L<sup>−1</sup> Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 7.0), the irreversible oxidation reactions of ascorbic and kojic acids were observed at +0.30 and +0.87 V <em>vs</em>. Ag/AgCl, KCl<sub>(sat)</sub>, respectively. With the experimental conditions optimized, calibration curves were constructed for both analytes by square wave voltammetry, with detection limits of 4.80 and 5.40 µmol L<sup>−1</sup> for ascorbic acid and kojic acid, respectively. The activated 3D CB-PLA electrode enabled accurate and precise simultaneous quantification of both antioxidant compounds in facial whitening creams, demonstrating its effectiveness and analytical potential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100532"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144896188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100533
Ahmed A. Shokeer, Nora A. Abdallah, Fawzia A. Ibrahim
{"title":"Sustainable upcycling of watermelon peels into a nanosensor for the selective detection of mefenamic acid, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with antioxidant properties, in biofluids and pharmaceutical formulations","authors":"Ahmed A. Shokeer, Nora A. Abdallah, Fawzia A. Ibrahim","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mefenamic acid has recently been identified to possess antioxidant properties, expanding its potential applications beyond traditional pain relief. Emerging studies suggest its possible role in the prevention or management of Alzheimer’s disease through its anti-inflammatory and oxidative stress-reducing effects. This study represents an innovative, highly green eco-friendly method for determination of mefenamic acid in plasma, urine and in its pharmaceutical forms. It involves the transformation of waste watermelon peels into a highly fluorescent switch off nanosensor. For the first time, carbon quantum dots were synthesized from watermelon peel in one step via in situ microwave-assisted carbonization process, completed within 17.0 min without the addition of any external chemicals. The synthesized carbon quantum dots were found to have good fluorescence (λex/em 330.0/420.0 nm), high water solubility and good stability. The synthesized carbon dots were characterized using fluorescence spectroscopy, UV–Visible Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Zeta potential analysis; Transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared. The formed Carbon dots appeared to have average particle size of 3.69 - 6.19 nm and their shape was spherical. Mefenamic acid, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory anthranilic acid derivative with antioxidant properties, was determined using the synthesized carbon quantum dots by inner filter effect (IFE) and static fluorescence quenching mechanism. The quenching effect on the produced carbon quantum dots was utilized for determination of mefenamic acid over the range of (0.50 – 20.0 µg/mL). The % recovery of the developed method was found to be 100.03 ± 0.776 in pure form, 99.973 ± 0.713 in capsule, 99.70 ± 3.740 in plasma and 99.968 ± 4.005 in urine. Determination of mefenamic acid in the presence of different species indicated high selectivity of the suggested method. The validity of the proposed method was assessed according to the ICH recommendations. Different greenness assessment tools were used for evaluation of the proposed method sustainability. By using watermelon peel, typically regarded as waste, this method offers a green and sustainable route for synthesizing carbon quantum dots from natural sources. Also, using water as solvent without using any other organic solvents; it gives a great advantage to our work as it does not produce any chemical or harmful waste, which makes it safe for the analyst and earth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100533"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144916375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-15DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100531
Xue Li , Zijiao Zhang , Tian Tian , Chen Chen , Xin Xu , Yuzhu He , Yaran Zang , Jianan Hui , Hongju Mao , Huiying Liu
{"title":"High-throughput microfluidic generation of self-assembled, uniform 3D vascularized and mineralized bone organoids without matrix biomaterials","authors":"Xue Li , Zijiao Zhang , Tian Tian , Chen Chen , Xin Xu , Yuzhu He , Yaran Zang , Jianan Hui , Hongju Mao , Huiying Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100531","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100531","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bone organoids hold great promise for modeling bone-related diseases, improving bone injury repair strategies, and enabling high-throughput drug screening. However, conventional approaches rely heavily on matrix biomaterials—such as Matrigel, collagen gels, or 3D-printed scaffolds—which introduce undefined parameters, pose manufacturing complexities, and raise cost barriers, potentially limiting clinical translation. To address these challenges, we present a novel high-throughput microfluidic chip that generates 540 uniformly sized, scaffold-free 3D bone organoids simultaneously within six independent channels. By co-cultivating human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs), human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and mineralized collagen (MC), self-assembled bone organoids formed by the third day and progressively compacted over time, exhibiting enhanced cell viability and proliferation. The inclusion of MC upregulated multiple osteogenic markers (OCN, ALP, COL-1, RUNX2, and BMP-2), while endothelial markers (PECAM-1, HIF-1α, and VEGF) remained consistently expressed, reflecting stable vascularization and mineralization potential. Overall, this high-throughput, matrix-free microfluidic platform offers a biomimetic environment for the investigation of osteogenesis and angiogenesis and holds significant promise for advanced material assessment, drug screening, and disease modeling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100531"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144904572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-12DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100529
Ankita Ghosh , Ramesh Chandra , Nidhi Chauhan
{"title":"Chemical imprinting meets nanotechnology: Ultra-sensitive monitoring of beta-endorphin","authors":"Ankita Ghosh , Ramesh Chandra , Nidhi Chauhan","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Beta-endorphin (BE) is an endogenous opioid peptide (EOP) produced in the anterior pituitary gland and hypothalamus. Beta-endorphin is a vital neurotransmitter involved in physiological processes including relief the pain, boosting memory, and regulating mood. BE is a happy hormone that reduces the chance of depression and anxiety. BE analysed by traditional laboratory techniques like LC-MS, ELISA and radioimmunoassay is reliable; however, there are certain limitations including time consumption, device complexity, cost and availability. This study aims to develop a self-monitoring molecularly imprinted polymer-based (MIP) biosensor for sensitive, selective and rapid detection of BE. The nanocomposite TiO<sub>2</sub>/MoS<sub>2</sub> was electrochemically deposited on the screen-printed electrode using cyclic voltammetry (CV) to enhance the conductivity and surface area to immobilize MIP. The MIP was electrochemically deposited at voltage range 0.2 to -0.6 V using CV for 20 cycles at scan rate 50 mV/s on the modified TiO<sub>2</sub>/MoS<sub>2</sub>/SPE. MIP is a synthetic bio-recognizing element that provides high selectivity for BE over other structurally similar molecules. The developed sensor MIP@TiO<sub>2</sub>/MoS<sub>2</sub>/SPE exhibits sensitivity of 0.475 µA/pM, the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1pM and a detection range of 0.1pM and 200pM. This is novel, innovative and cost-effective point of care device developed for the rapid and real time detection of BE.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100529"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144887024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Solvent extraction methods towards efficient recognition of organophosphorus pesticides: Recent progress and analytical challenges","authors":"Marzieh Fallahi Nezhad , Amin Foroozandeh , Hossein Salar Amoli , Mohammad Hasanzadeh","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction (DLLME) has evolved significantly by integrating physical assistance methods to enhance extraction efficiency while minimizing the use of organic solvents and disperser agents. This review critically examines the latest advancements in assisted DLLME techniques, including ultrasound-assisted DLLME, vortex-assisted DLLME, and air-assisted DLLME methods, with an emphasis on their potential to minimize or eliminate the use of toxic organic solvents and disperser agents. These environmentally friendly approaches are particularly important for detecting hazardous contaminants such as organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), which are widely used in agriculture and known for their acute neurotoxicity, environmental persistence, and potential to disrupt nervous systems. OPPs can cause severe neurological effects even at trace levels. Their continued presence in food, water, and environmental samples underscores the urgent need for highly sensitive and reliable detection methods to ensure public safety and regulatory compliance. The review highlights how greener DLLME techniques contribute to sustainable analytical practices by reducing or eliminating harmful chemicals. Comparative evaluations are presented for enrichment factors, extraction times, and analyte recoveries across various sample types, including environmental water, biological fluids, and food products. Finally, the review discusses future directions toward achieving completely solvent-free and disperser-free DLLME systems through innovative hybrid and energy-assisted strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100530"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100525
Ivana Tomac , Veronika Mikušová , Peter Mikuš , Jan Labuda
{"title":"Effective detection of antioxidants using functional schemes of enzyme inhibition and competing (bio)reactions","authors":"Ivana Tomac , Veronika Mikušová , Peter Mikuš , Jan Labuda","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100525","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100525","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous analytical methods were developed based on purely chemical, electrochemical and other physicochemical (spectral, chromatographic) interactions of the antioxidants (AOx) molecules with corresponding specific thermodynamic and kinetic background of experimental, mostly <em>in vitro</em>, conditions. Highly useful results are widely available which are however, operationally based and, therefore, not simply comparable. Reflecting the role of AOx in living organisms characterized by the biomolecular interactions, analytical procedures are also developed based on the antioxidant – pro-oxidant interactions in the presence of a biomolecule. In this case, enzymes fulfil the role of probe expressing an inhibition of their catalytic activity or nucleic acids, lipids, and others are the targets competing with AOx at a pro-oxidant attack. This review presents recent approaches and results on the analytical utilization of inhibiting and competing interactions with AOx. Novel trends exploiting nanomaterials and nanozymes are included. The studies of plant-derived extracts and products are particularly treated being of high pharmaceutical and medical interests. General features with future challenges regarding methods standardization development of portable devices and miniaturization technologies are highlighted to stimulate further progress in the effective AOx detection and characterization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100525"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144841970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quantification of phytochemicals of different parts of Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz for the evidence-based substitution of the official part (root) with aerial part","authors":"Megha Nigam , Yashika Gandhi , Vijay Kumar , Hemant Soni , Rishi Kumar Saxena","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100528","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Oroxylum indicum</em> (L.) Kurz (OI) or Shyonaka or Sona Patha is an endangered medicinal plant used in various traditional medicines. The roots of OI are the most commonly used part in preparing numerous traditional medicines worldwide. To conserve the environment, it is necessary to check the substitution of official parts with aerial parts like leaf and stem bark using sophisticated techniques. The present study developed HPLC and ICP-OES methods to quantify OI's main phytoconstituents and metal ions in four parts (root, root bark, stem bark, and leaf). The phytochemicals viz. vanillic acid, trans-ferulic acid, baicalein, and chrysin were quantified by HPLC study, where the significantly better amounts of baicalein and chrysin (baicalein > chrysin) were quantified in aerial parts (leaf and stem bark) as compared to root and root bark. ICP-OES elemental analysis has revealed that all parts of OI are good sources of Ca, K, Na, Mg, Mn, Fe, and Zn. GC–MS study was performed to identify the volatile compounds of all parts of OI. In antioxidant studies (TPC, TFC, and DPPH assays), the leaf showed a better IC<sub>50</sub> value, followed by stem bark, root bark, and root. In the antacid study, the leaf has shown better activity, followed by root bark, stem bark, and root. In the anti-bacterial assay, all parts of OI significantly inhibited <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> and <em>Salmonella typhi</em> strains, where root bark and leaf demonstrated improved activities. In computational studies, the invitro antacid, antioxidant, and anti-bacterial activities were confirmed, where most of the phytochemicals demonstrated binding energies over standard drugs. Overall, the study revealed that all parts of OI, including roots and aerial parts, might be medicinally useful, and leaves may be used as a nutritional food. Moreover, the official part, i.e., root or root bark used in traditional medicines, may be replaced with aerial parts (leaf or stem bark) to conserve the environment. After the in-depth pharmacological and toxicological studies, all parts of OI <em>Oroxylum indicum</em> might be incorporated into pharmaceutics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100528"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144830544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Talanta OpenPub Date : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.talo.2025.100527
Peng Liu , Sitian He , Mette Ø. Agerbæk , Ali Salanti , Leon W.M.M. Terstappen , Pascal Jonkheijm , Michiel Stevens
{"title":"Identification and isolation pipeline for single cell transcriptomic of magnetically enriched tumor cells","authors":"Peng Liu , Sitian He , Mette Ø. Agerbæk , Ali Salanti , Leon W.M.M. Terstappen , Pascal Jonkheijm , Michiel Stevens","doi":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.talo.2025.100527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The transcriptomic analysis of circulating tumor cells provides valuable insights into cancer metastasis, heterogeneity and the identification of drugable targets. However, traditional methods for circulating tumor cel identification and isolation often compromise mRNA integrity, due to cell handling such as the cell permeabilization, required for intracellular staining. Here, we present a novel identification and isolation pipeline for single cell transcriptomics of magnetically enriched tumor by combining rVAR2 based identification cells with single-cell magnetic pickup.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>To test our method, we used tumor cells from four lung cancer cell lines spiked into blood. After magnetic enrichment using the CellSearch® Profile Kit, the resulting sample was divided for staining with either rVAR2 or CellSearch reagents. Single cells were isolated using a magnetic needle and analyzed for mRNA integrity using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) targeting the GAPDH and EpCAM genes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The integration of single-cell magnetic pickup enabled precise single-cell separation, while the extracellular rVAR2 staining enables mRNA preservation, collectively facilitating the detection of low-expressed genes at the single-cell level. Compared to CellSearch staining, the rVAR2 staining resulted in our pipeline in a approximately 10 to 100 times higher mRNA yield from single magnetically enriched tumor cells.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This mRNA-friendly method enhances our ability to study tumor heterogeneity at the single-cell level and supports the development of personalized cancer therapies, making it a valuable tool for circulating tumor cel research and clinical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":436,"journal":{"name":"Talanta Open","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100527"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144830522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}