DNA-SWCNT Biosensors allow real-time monitoring of therapeutic responses in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly desmoplastic cancer with limited treatment options. There is an urgent need for tools that monitor therapeutic responses in real-time. Drugs such as gemcitabine (GEM) and irinotecan elicit their therapeutic effect in cancer cells by producing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In this study, specific DNA- wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), which precisely monitor H2O2, were used to determine the therapeutic response of PDAC cells in vitro and tumors in vivo. Drug therapeutic efficacy was evaluated in vitro by monitoring differences of H2O2 in situ using reversible alteration of Raman G-bands from the nanotubes. Implantation of the DNA-SWCNT probe inside the PDAC tumor resulted in ~50% reduction of Raman G-band intensity when treated with GEM versus the pre-treated tumor; the Raman G-band intensity reversed to its pretreatment level upon treatment withdrawal. In summary, we demonstrate using highly specific and sensitive DNA-SWCNT nanosensors that dynamic alteration of a key analyte can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of chemotherapeutics both in vitro and in vivo.