Magnetic nanotechnology for circulating tumor biomarkers screening: Rational design, microfluidics integration and applications

Magnetic nanotechnology represents a major and promising frontier with great potential to significantly advance the field of liquid biopsies. The last decade has witnessed considerable progress in the research and development of magnetic nanosystems for circulating tumor biomarkers screening. With the emergence of microfluidics, both rational design of magnetic nanomaterials from microfluidic reactors and efficient magnetic screening of circulating tumor biomarkers from microfluidic chips become available. This review focuses on recent advances of magnetic nanoparticles for the screening of circulating tumor biomarkers including circulating tumor cells, exosomes, and nucleic acids. We summarize the established conventional magnetic nanosystems for circulating tumor biomarkers screening, highlight microfluidic reactors-enabled magnetic nanoparticles synthesis, and discuss the emerging roles of microfluidic chips in magnetic screening of circulating tumor biomarkers. In addition, the current challenges and opportunities are provided for guiding future studies.