{
  "abstract": "Semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures as classic photonic materials have sparked the development of low-cost, high-performance fluorescence sensors; however, their scalable clinical applications remain hampered by inadequate sensitivity. Here, we engineer a high-curvature photo-heterostructure aggregate-enhanced fluorescence (PAEF) sensor based on bubble-scaffolded ZnO nanorods. Leveraging synergistic evanescent field coupling and self-aggregation of photo-heterostructures, PAEF sensor streamlines efficient isolation (~90%) and ultrasensitive profiling of tumor extracellular vesicles (EVs) in a single assay, achieving sensitivity <10 EVs/μL (104-fold better than ELISA) without additional amplification, outperforming most state-of-the-art EV fluorescence assays. This self-sufficient sensor enables accurate monitoring of targeted therapeutic efficacy in mouse xenograft models via simultaneous dual-marker readout. We further show its clinical utility in hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis with ≥96% accuracy (≥98% specificity) in two cohorts (n = 146), improving dynamic monitoring of surgical treatment responses, particularly in alpha-fetoprotein-negative patients. This work provides a cost-effective ultrasensitive liquid biopsy tool advancing non-invasive cancer diagnosis.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Guangxi Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Precision Detection and Screening, State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, School of Pharmacy, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China",
    "Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China",
    "Department of Clinical Laboratory, the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xifeng Mo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xiaojie Qin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Linfeng Mao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuming Tang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "You Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hao Lu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Binqi Wei"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yu Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuyuan Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Min Fang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xinchun Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fan Yang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8490-4183"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx8h5ymvqq1h9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78181-w",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13710748/",
  "id": "dx8h5ymvqq1h9",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78181-w",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Extracellular vesicles in disease"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214314797",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78181-w_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13710748",
  "pmid": "42934273",
  "published": "2026-09-25",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx8h5ymvqq1h9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:39Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13710748",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78181-w"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Extracellular vesicles in disease",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Self-aggregated photo-heterostructures enhancing fluorescence for cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring",
  "title_text": "Self-aggregated photo-heterostructures enhancing fluorescence for cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:21:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dx8h5ymvqq1h9",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}