3D specimen volatilomic analysis by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and smart electronic devices to enhance breast cancer management

Vivian Darsa Maidantchik, Chemical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel (viviand@campus.technion.ac.il)
Arnab Maity, Chemical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
Keren Weidenfeld, Department Of Human Biology And Medical Sciences, University Of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Dalit Barkan, Department Of Human Biology And Medical Sciences, University Of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Sarit Larisch, Department Of Human Biology And Medical Sciences, University Of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Hossam Haick, Chemical Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel

Organoids and biopsied tissues are 3-dimensional (3D) structures with complex cellular interactions, and therefore may provide deep insights into physiological pathways that may lead to disease development, in comparison to 2D cell culturing. Continuous and real-time monitoring of these specimens might offer a profound understanding of mechanisms of disease development and possible treatments. However, traditional methods for disease diagnosis and follow-up do not provide real-time data, are in majority destructive and costly.

A volatilomic analysis of human healthy and cancerous tissues, and organoids originated from MCF-10 human breast cell line in three different stages was conducted utilizing Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Moreover, a novel hierarchical stacked geometrical configuration (HSGC) was developed using graphene oxide-based sensors functionalized with tailored ligands, composed of thiols and amines, printed on free-standing cellulose films to swiftly acquire real-time spectrograms of VOCs.

The method successfully differentiated between healthy and cancerous tissues, and organoids in the healthy, transitory and cancerous states, during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. HSGC device created chromatograms of VOC spectra of the specimens in only 1-2 minutes, enabling it to serve as an alternative to cryo-section analysis (45-60 minutes), or a wearable spectrometer.

The volatilomic analysis enables the identification of biochemical processes such as aromatic acid degradation, carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms, that can be associated with cancerous progression, in a non-destructive way and with real-time and continuous monitoring. The novel method presented offers the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analysis of data provided by nanosensors, delivering faster and more accurate results in comparison to biopsies without additional effort, advancing the field of oncological-related biomarkers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: Schematic model of VOC-based biomarker analyses for diagnosing breast cancer and comparison of operating time of HSGC device with the cryo-section procedure during cancer surgery and GC–MS operation.

 

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Short Biography of Presenting Author

My name is Vivian Darsa Maidantchik, I am a PhD student in Prof. Hossam Haick’s group, in the Laboratory for Nanomaterial-Based Devices at the Technion, Israel. I am originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and moved to Israel in 2016. I received my BSc degree in Chemical Engineering from the Technion in 2020, with a minor in Biochemical Process Engineering. I joined Prof. Haick´s group in March 2019, during my undergraduate research project, which focused on the synthesis and development of an innovative nanosensor array based on gold nanowires functionalized with thiols. During my BSc degree, I worked at Tower Semiconductor in the Yield Enhancement Department for two years.

I started my MSc degree in 2020, continuing to the PhD through the direct track, in the Department of Chemical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Haick. My research focuses on the development of sensor arrays for detection of breast cancer biomarkers.