Gelatin-Coated ZnO Array Nanoplatform for Capture, Drug Resistance Identification, and Recovery of Circulating Tumor Cells

Drug resistance causes failure of cancer treatment. Identifying drug sensitivity of tumors can guide therapeutic administration for cancer patients, however this approach lacks a facile, fast, and noninvasive evaluation platform. Herein, a gelatin-coated ZnO array nanoplatform to isolate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is developed, and their drug resistance for inspecting tumor sensitivity is assessed. The nanoplatform is comprised of a nanosubstrate of ZnO submicropillars (ZnO SMPs) for efficiently isolating cancer cells, and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) based electrochemical probes for evaluating drug resistance of the captured cells. Gelatin, an extracellular matrix-like and enzyme-degradable material, is used to coat ZnO SMPs and AuNPs, endowing the nanoplatform with the ability to maintain cancer cell viability and realize enzyme-responsive cell recovery for downstream bioanalysis. This nanoplatform is expected to noninvasively evaluate drug sensitivity of cancer patients through simple liquid biopsy of CTCs in peripheral blood and benefit the treatment.