A flexible wearable device coupled with injectable Fe3O4 nanoparticles for capturing circulating tumor cells and triggering their deaths

Elimination of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood can be an effective therapeutic approach to disrupt metastasis. Here, a strategy is proposed to implement flexible wearable electronics and injectable nanomaterials to disrupt the hematogenous transport of CTCs. A flexible device containing an origami magnetic membrane is used to attract Fe3O4@Au nanoparticles (NPs) that are surface modified with specific aptamers and intravenously injected into blood vessels, forming an invisible hand and fishing line/bait configuration to specifically capture CTCs through bonding with aptamers. Thereafter, thinned flexible AlGaAs LEDs in the device offer an average fluence of 15.75 mW mm-2 at a skin penetration depth of 1.5 mm, causing a rapid rise of temperature to 48 degrees C in the NPs and triggering CTC death in 10 min. The flexible device has been demonstrated for intravascular isolation and enrichment of CTCs with a capture efficiency of 72.31% after 10 cycles in a simulated blood circulation system based on a prosthetic upper limb. The fusion of nanomaterials and flexible electronics reveals an emerging field that utilizes wearable and flexible stimulators to activate biological effects offered by nanomaterials, leading to improved therapeutical effects and postoperative outcomes of diseases.

Automated summary

This article introduces a strategy of using flexible wearable electronics and injectable nanomaterials to disrupt the transportation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood. The flexible device contains a magnetic membrane that attracts Fe3O4@Au nanoparticles (NPs) with specific aptamers, forming a configuration to specifically capture CTCs. Thinned flexible AlGaAs LEDs in the device heat up the NPs to cause CTC death. The fusion of nanomaterials and flexible electronics reveals a new field for improving therapeutic effects and postoperative outcomes of diseases.