In a study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, researchers from Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University developed a label-free intraoperative navigation system based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), which enables real-time, in situ grading of prostate tumor malignancy by simultaneously detecting tissue acidity and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) activity.

This system integrates a microfluidic sampling pen, a nanoimprinted SERS array, and an artificial intelligence-powered spectral analysis module. The pen automatically extracts biomarkers from tissue surfaces within six seconds per point without causing tissue damage. The extracted droplets are then transferred to a highly uniform SERS array functionalized with Raman reporters sensitive to pH and PSA