DISCERN: Dual-Aptamer-Initiated Sensing Circuit via Engineered Nanozyme for Leukemia Stem Cells Phenotyping

ACS Sensors 2026

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Authors: Hai Shi, Lu Liu, Ying Shen, Yunlong Xiao, Renwu Mu, Suzhen Zhai, Bin Zhang, Xiaoyan Yang, C Zhang
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.5c03906
Cited by: 3
References: 40

Abstract

Leukemia stem cell (LSC) phenotyping offers significant potential to enhance minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), improving therapeutic evaluation and relapse prediction. However, current approaches lack the sufficient sensitivity and specificity to reliably detect rare chemotherapy-resistant LSCs (crLSCs) or identify stem-like phenotypic states, limiting clinical translation. Here, we develop DISCERN (Dual-Aptamer-Initiated Sensing Circuit via Engineered Nanozyme), a colorimetric platform for ultrasensitive LSC phenotyping. DISCERN employs a dual-aptamer system targeting colocalized surface markers (CD33 and CD123) for high-specificity recognition. Its exceptional sensitivity (limit of detection

Fields of Study & Subjects

Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics

Publication details

Journal / source
ACS Sensors
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Volume
11
Issue
2
Pages
1547–1556
Publication date
5 February 2026
Language
EN