A Biomimetic Hierarchical Porous Microneedle for Transdermal Ovarian Cancer Detection

Precision in early-stage ovarian cancer detection is crucial for improving survival rates, yet often involves invasive or resource-intensive procedures. It is here engineered a portable transdermal biosensor comprising antibody-functionalized hierarchical porous microneedles (hp-MNs) that enables on -needle quantitatively detect human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) and cancer antigen 125 (CA125) via fluorescence immunoassay. Fabricated through a novel phase separation micro-molding technique, the biomimetic microneedles feature a coral-like hierarchical inter-connective porous structure with noteworthy liquid absorption capacity and high antibody-binding density, enabling reliable in vivo biomarkers enrichment and detection with nanomolar sensitivity to differentiate disease from benign biofluids. Furthermore, a groove structure allows concurrently detection of multiple tumor biomarkers at identical regions without cross-influence in a single application, enhancing sensitivity and precision. This work advances the field of porous polymeric microneedles and offers a promising guideline for developing more accurate and noninvasive diagnostic systems.