Magnetic nanotechnologies for early cancer diagnostics with liquid biopsies: a review

Abstract

Liquid biopsy has become an emerging technology in the detection of cancer related biomarkers as well as the continuous monitoring of cancer treatment. There has been extensive research on the applications of magnetic nanotechnologies in liquid biopsies from the separation of target analytes to the detection of cancer biomarkers. Magnetic separation plays an important role in increasing both the efficiency and sensitivity of the liquid biopsy process. The detection of cancer biomarkers through magnetic nanosensors also possesses many advantages such as low background noise, high sensitivity, short assay time, and the ability to detect multiple biomarkers at the same time. This review focuses on the recent advances of magnetic nanotechnologies in liquid biopsies for cancer detection and its future potential in comparison with other technologies.