Nanoparticles: Trapping and Photoacoustic Detection of CTCs at the Single Cell per Milliliter Level with Magneto‐Optical Coupled Nanoparticles (Small 12/2013)

Multifunctional nanoparticles with integrated magnetic, optical, and targeting properties enable simultaneous trapping and ultrasensitive detection of rare circulating tumor cells in blood vessels. On page 2046, photoacoustic imaging shows how the nanoprobes detect the cells at the single-cell-per-milliliter level, capturing two thirds of the labeled cells in just one pass. Compared to conventional in vitro assays, this technology has the potential to interrogate large sample volumes in a reasonable procedure time.