Coupling magnetic levitation of graphene oxide–protein complexes with blood levels of glucose for early detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Introduction Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis since often diagnosed too late. Dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia are considered risk factors, but the presence of the tumor itself can determine the onset of these disorders. Therefore, it is not easy to predict which subjects with diabetes or dyslipidemia will develop or have already developed PDAC. Over the past decade, tests based on the use of nanotechnology, alone or coupled with common laboratory tests (e.g., hemoglobin levels), have proven useful in aiding the diagnosis of PDAC. Tests based on magnetic levitation (MagLev) have demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy in compliance with the REASSURED criteria. Here, we aimed to assess the ability of the MagLev test in detecting PDAC when coupled with the blood levels of glycemia, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Methods Blood samples from 24 PDAC patients and 22 healthy controls were collected. Human plasma was let to interact with graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and the emerging coronated systems were put in the MagLev device. Outcomes from Maglev experiments were coupled to glycemia, cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was carried out to evaluate the classification ability of the test in terms of specificity, sensitivity, and global accuracy. Statistical analysis was performed with Matlab (MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA, Version R2022a) software. Results The positions of the levitating bands were measured at the starting point (i.e., as soon as the cuvette containing the sample was subjected to the magnetic field). Significant variations in the starting position of levitating nanosystems in controls and PDACs were detected. The combination of the MagLev outcomes with the blood glycemic levels returned the best value of global accuracy (91%) if compared to the coupling with those of cholesterol and triglycerides (global accuracy of ~ 77% and 84%, respectively). Conclusion If confirmed by further studies on larger cohorts, a multiplexed Maglev-based nanotechnology-enabled blood test could be employed as a screening tool for PDAC in populations with hyperglycemia.