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Hamza, Musa N., Alibakhshikenari, Mohammad, Virdee, Bal Singh, Lavadiya, Sunil, Din, Iftikhar Ud, Sanches, Bruno, Koziel, Slawomir, Naqvi, Syeda Iffat, Farmani, Ali, Panda, Abinash, Zakeri, Hassan and Abbasi, Nisar Ahmad (2026) Terahertz multiband metamaterial biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of PC-12 adrenal gland carcinoma cells through microenvironmental analysis. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 405 (117797). pp. 1-18. ISSN 0924-4247
Adrenal gland cancer, particularly adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), is an aggressive malignancy arising from the adrenal cortex’s secretory cells. ACC is often diagnosed at advanced, metastatic stages, necessitating surgical resection. However, its high recurrence rate and late-stage detection frequently require systemic therapies, which are generally ineffective, leading to poor survival outcomes. Early detection is, therefore, crucial for improving treatment efficacy. Identifying PC-12 adrenal gland carcinoma cells is essential for understanding neuroendocrine tumor progression and developing effective therapeutic strategies. This study presents a novel metamaterial (MTM)-based biosensor for detecting PC-12 carcinoma cells with exceptional sensitivity. The sensor features three resonators fabricated on 0.2-μm-thick aluminum (Al) layers embedded within a 10-μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The sensor is highly compact with an overall dimension of just 150 × 150 μm², making it well-suited for integration into portable diagnostic systems. Operating in the terahertz frequency range (0.5 THz to 5.0 THz), the device achieves remarkable performance, with an absorption rate exceeding 99% across eight operating bands and surpassing 99.9% in two bands. Additionally, it boasts high quality factor (approaching 30) and an exceptional sensitivity of nearly 4000,000 THz/RIU. The sensor’s outstanding performance is attributed to meticulous geometric tuning and architectural optimization, significantly enhancing its sensitivity for cancer detection. Numerical validation was conducted using full-wave electromagnetic simulations, including electric and magnetic field distribution analysis, surface current mapping, and scattering parameter evaluation. Comparative assessments against state-of-the-art biosensors demonstrated the proposed sensor’s superiority in key performance metrics such as quality factor, figure of merit (FOM), and absorption efficiency. The sensor’s efficacy in detecting PC-12 adrenal carcinoma cells was verified by integrating it into a Microwave Imaging (MWI) system. The device successfully distinguished between healthy and cancerous cells by capturing distinct electromagnetic signatures through electric (E) and magnetic (H) field variations. These results underscore the sensor’s potential as a highly sensitive, non-invasive diagnostic tool for early-stage detection of adrenal gland cancer and other malignancies.
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
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