An early detection of different tumor subtypes is crucial for an effective guidance to personalized therapy. While much efforts focus on decoding the sequence of DNA basis to detect the genetic mutations related to cancer, it is becoming clear that physical properties, including structural conformation, stiffness, and shape, as well as biological processes, such as methylation, can be pivotal to recognize DNA modifications. Here we exploit the Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) platform, based on disordered silver coated--silicon nanowires, to investigate genomic DNA from subtypes of melanoma and colon cancers and to efficiently discriminate tumor and healthy cells, as well as the different tumor subtypes. The diagnostic information is obtained by performing label--free Raman maps of the dried drops of DNA solutions onto the Ag/NWs mat, and leveraging the classification ability of learning models to reveal the specific and distinct interaction of healthy and tumor DNA molecules with nanowires.

翻译：早期发现不同的肿瘤子类型对于有效指导个性化疗法至关重要。虽然许多努力的重点是解码DNA基础的序列,以检测与癌症有关的基因突变,但越来越明显的是,物理特性,包括结构一致性、僵硬性和形状,以及诸如甲基化等生物过程,对于确认DNA的修改至关重要。在这里,我们利用地表增强拉曼散射平台(SERS),该平台以无序银涂层-硅纳米电线为基础,调查黑瘤和结肠癌子型的基因组DNA,并有效地区分肿瘤和健康细胞以及不同的肿瘤亚型。诊断信息是通过在Ag/NWs垫上绘制无标签的DNA溶液干滴拉曼地图,并利用学习模型的分类能力,以揭示健康和肿瘤DNA分子与纳米线的具体和独特互动。