Fe metal–organic framework–derived heterojunction for metabolic diagnosis of thymic epithelial tumor
Abstract
Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs), rare yet clinically significant malignancies, face diagnostic challenges due to their occult presentation and lack of noninvasive risk-stratification tools, leading to systemic overtreatment and poor prognoses for high-risk subtypes. To address this unmet need, we developed a Fe 3 O 4 @Fe metal–organic framework heterojunction-enhanced laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS) platform for the efficient analysis of serum metabolic fingerprints (SMFs). Engineered through gradient pyrolysis, this nanomaterial synergizes ultraviolet absorption and photothermal conversion from its two constituent components with enhanced charge separation, achieving 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity and thus enabling direct SMF acquisition from 1 μL of serum. Coupled with machine learning, the platform demonstrates robust diagnostic performance, yielding area under the curve (AUC) of 0.960 for distinguishing TETs from benign control and AUC of 0.856 for hierarchical risk stratification, outperforming clinical workflows. Beyond advancing material design for LDI MS, this work establishes a clinically translatable framework for rapid, large-scale screening, addressing critical gaps in TET management through metabolic-driven stratification.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (13)
Yongpeng Liang
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Functional Molecular Engineering, School of Chemistry, Institute of Green Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University
Haochen Han
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Chest Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Yuewei Zhao
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Chest Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Wenjun Yu
CAS Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Applied Catalysis
Huiying Chen
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Functional Molecular Engineering, School of Chemistry, Institute of Green Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University
Jiachuan Liu
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Functional Molecular Engineering, School of Chemistry, Institute of Green Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University
Haojie Jin
State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital
Yangfan Xu
Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Functional Molecular Engineering, School of Advanced Energy, Institute of Green Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University
Wei Chen
Kun Qian
Dongguan Key Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Science for Advanced Materials and Large-Scale Scientific Facilities, School of Physical Sciences
Xiangdong Yao
State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry College of Chemistry
Lin Huang
Xiao-Ming Chen
MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry