Editorial Cite This: Anal. Chem. 2018, 90, 4235−4235
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Analytical Technologies to Improve Human Health
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patients using human serum samples. Rassoly et al. developed a new DNA self-assembly amplification technology employing electrochemical biosensing to detect human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in serum of breast cancer patients, a key prognostic indicator for breast cancer. Gerwet et al. describe a coherent antistokes Raman scattering imaging method for noninvasive diagnosis and typing of urothelial carcinoma from patient urine samples. Several manuscripts highlight the development of analytical technologies for the evaluation of human tissue sections to assist clinical histopathologic diagnosis of disease. Rau et al. describe the use of Raman microscopy for highly accurate (>99%) discrimination of healthy parathyroid and parathyroid adenoma tissue sections during surgery. MacDonnell et al. developed a multimodal matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging assay for the analysis of N-linked glycans and proteins from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections, the most commonly used tissue processing method. Gardner et al. applied wide-field quantum cascade laser infrared imaging coupled with statistical analysis for rapid and accurate diagnosis of a breast cancer tissue microarray comprised of 207 different patient samples. Altogether, the analytical technologies highlighted in this virtual issue provide potentially powerful approaches to improve and expedite the diagnosis and treatment of human health conditions. With further development and validation with a larger cohort of clinical samples, these techniques have the potential to translate to the clinic for routine use in patient care.
mplementation of new technologies that allow accurate, precise, and rapid assessment and diagnosis of human health conditions is highly desirable to guide treatment strategies and improve patient care. This virtual issue highlights manuscripts describing new developments in analytical technologies that provide creative solutions to ongoing challenges in human health and address critical challenges in clinical diagnosis of diseases. The studies highlighted employ a range of analytical assays and measurement approaches such as infrared spectroscopy, Raman microscopy, immunoassays employing ultraviolet−visible and plasmonically amplified fluorescence detection, mass spectrometry, and electrochemical sensors for rapid analysis of human samples including biofluids (saliva, blood, serum, and urine) and tissues. The technologies have broad applications to human health, ranging from detection of Zika virus, bacteria, allergies, and hand, foot, and mouth disease, to the accurate diagnosis of life threatening health conditions including cancer, diabetes, and myocardial infarction. The selected papers have shown feasibility using clinical and/or human samples, and improved adaptability of the analytical assay for easier incorporation into patient care and clinical workflows. The selected technologies range from inexpensive point-ofcare devices that bring testing to the hands of the patients and/ or medical professionals, to more sophisticated analytical tools that provide superb performance for disease diagnosis and characterization in the clinic. Point-of-care technologies share common features such as hand-held usability, disposability, low cost, and ease of operation. As examples from the virtual issue, Liu et al. developed a disposable cassette device that includes a reserve-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the detection of Zika virus through a visual output. Using this system, the authors detected Zika virus in human oral samples in less than 40 minutes. Whitesides et al. developed a broadly applicable “paper machine” that integrates loop-mediated isothermal amplification with end-point detection using a hand-held UV source and camera phone, and demonstrated its use for E. coli detection in human plasma. Pang et al. developed a method using immunomagnetic nanobeas and fluorescent quantum dots for simultaneous and accurate (93.3%) detection of the hand, foot, and mouth virus from human throat swab samples. Wang et al. describe a proofof-concept study of a tattoo-based glucose monitoring assay, with human on-body experimental data that demonstrate its value for glycemic level measurements. Several analytical approaches highlighted are proposed for analysis and diagnosis of clinical samples routinely collected during clinical management of patients, from preoperative assessment of biofluids obtained via minimally invasive clinical procedures to intraoperative tissue evaluation. Xinyuan et al., for example, describe the development of fluorescent nanoprobes to detect circulating tumor cells from blood, or a liquid biopsy, obtained from colorectal cancer patients. Ugo et al. developed an electrochemiluminescence immunosensor that can successfully discriminate between healthy and celiac © 2018 American Chemical Society
Livia S. Eberlin, Features Panel, Analytical Chemistry and Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
Published: April 3, 2018 4235
DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b01232 Anal. Chem. 2018, 90, 4235−4235
