A strategy based on an immune-graphene oxide (GO)-magnetic microbead complex for the sensitive, rapid, portable, and low-cost detection of cancer cells was developed. The high-efficiency cell capture and high sensitive thermal contrast detection could be simultaneously achieved using magnetic microbeads and the photothermal effect of GOs. The temperature variation caused by irradiating the GOs with a laser was used to establish the standard curve of temperature variation and cancer cell number. Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection could reach 100 cells. 4T1 cells spiked in human blood could be successfully detected in 1.5 h, and the recovery was between 90.8% and 116.5%.
Keywords: cancer cell; graphene oxide; magnetic microbead; membrane; photothermal effect.