Abstract
This study introduces a novel approach in the realm of liquid biopsies, employing a 3D Mueller-matrix (MM) image reconstruction technique to analyze dehydrated blood smear polycrystalline structures. Our research centers on exploiting the unique optical anisotropy properties of blood proteins, which undergo structural alterations at the quaternary and tertiary levels in the early stages of diseases such as cancer. These alterations manifest as distinct patterns in the polycrystalline microstructure of dried blood droplets, offering a minimally invasive yet highly effective method for early disease detection. We utilized a groundbreaking 3D MM mapping technique, integrated with digital holographic reconstruction, to perform a detailed layer-by-layer analysis of partially depolarizing dry blood smears. This method allows us to extract critical optical anisotropy parameters, enabling the differentiation of blood films from healthy individuals and prostate cancer patients. Our technique uniquely combines polarization-holographic and differential MM methodologies to spatially characterize the 3D polycrystalline structures within blood films. A key advancement in our study is the quantitative evaluation of optical anisotropy maps using statistical moments (first to fourth orders) of linear and circular birefringence and dichroism distributions. This analysis provides a comprehensive characterization of the mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis of these distributions, crucial for identifying significant differences between healthy and cancerous samples. Our findings demonstrate an exceptional accuracy rate of over 90% for the early diagnosis and staging of cancer, surpassing existing screening methods. This high level of precision and the non-invasive nature of our technique mark a significant advancement in the field of liquid biopsies. It holds immense potential for revolutionizing cancer diagnosis, early detection, patient stratification, and monitoring, thereby greatly enhancing patient care and treatment outcomes. In conclusion, our study contributes a pioneering technique to the liquid biopsy domain, aligning with the ongoing quest for non-invasive, reliable, and efficient diagnostic methods. It opens new avenues for cancer diagnosis and monitoring, representing a substantial leap forward in personalized medicine and oncology.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 13679 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Scientific Reports |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 13 Jun 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 13 Jun 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.Keywords
- Liquid biopsy
- Polarized light
- Cancer diagnosis
- Blood
- Polycrystalline thin films
- 3D Mueller matrix
- Birefringence
- Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods
- Humans
- Male
- Holography/methods
- Liquid Biopsy/methods
- Anisotropy
- Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology