ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterised by aggressive behaviour and metabolic plasticity, driven by dynamic shifts between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Reliable monitoring of such metabolic states remains challenging, as conventional assays are destructive, labour-intensive, and poorly suited for real-time evaluation. Here, we report the BReast CAncer Sensing via ElectroChemistry (BRCAS–EC) platform, a label-free electrochemical biosensing system that enables in situ metabolic profiling of living cancer cells. The platform employs nanostructured gold electrodes to sensitively capture redox-active electron transfer associated with mitochondrial and glycolytic activity. The BRCAS–EC system demonstrated high analytical performance, with stable and reproducible signals, a detection limit of ∼3500 cells per chip, and quantitative agreement with conventional metabolic assays. Distinct electrochemical signals were obtained from TNBC cells, which responded sensitively to both glycolytic and mitochondrial inhibition, allowing accurate determination of glycolysis/OXPHOS dependency ratios. The platform further enabled label-free detection of TNBC cells within heterogeneous populations and discriminated metabolic phenotypes across representative breast cancer subtypes. Importantly, drug-induced metabolic responses to targeted agents and biosimilars were detected within 30 s and at significantly lower concentrations than required by standard viability assays. Taken together, these results establish BRCAS–EC as a versatile electrochemical sensing platform for real-time metabolic phenotyping and therapeutic evaluation. Its combination of high sensitivity, reproducibility, and compatibility with intact live cells highlights strong potential for broader applications in electrochemical biosensing, functional diagnostics, and translational oncology.

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