Dielectrophoretic Capture of Cancer-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles-Bound Janus Nanoparticles via Lectin-Glycan Interaction.

Glycosylation is closely related to cell metabolism and disease progression. Particularly, cancer progression increases the glycan levels of cancer cells and tissues. This up-regulation of glycosylation in cancer cells may provide a basis for the development of new biomarkers for targeting and diagnosing specific cancers. Here, we developed a detection technology for pancreatic cancer cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (PC-sEVs) based on lectin-glycan interactions. Afterward, lectins with a strong and specific affinity for sialic acid were conjugated on bifunctional nanoparticles (i.e., Janus nanoparticles) to induce interactions with PC-sEVs in a dielectrophoretic (DEP) system. PC-sEVs from cell lines and clinical samples were selectively bound on the lectin-conjugated Janus nanoparticles (Lectin-JNPs) with comparable affinity to that of conventionally used carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) antibodies. Furthermore, sEVs-bound Lectin-JNPs (sEVs-Lec-JNPs) were manipulated between two electrodes to which an AC signal was applied for DEP capture. Additionally, the proposed DEP system can be used to trap the sEVs -Lec-JNPs on the electrodes. Our findings, which were confirmed by Lectin-JNPs using the proposed DEP system, followed by target gene analysis, provide a basis for the development of a new early diagnosis marker based on the glycan properties of PC- sEVs. In turn, these novel detection methods could overcome the shortcomings of commercially available pancreatic cancer detection techniques. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.