Physical Limits of Proximal Tumor Detection via MAGE-A Extracellular Vesicles
Abstract
Early cancer detection relies on invasive tissue biopsies or liquid biopsies limited by biomarker dilution. In contrast, tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying biomarkers like melanoma-associated antigen-A (MAGE-A) are highly concentrated in the peri-tumoral interstitial space, offering a promising near-field target. However, at micrometre scales, EV transport is governed by stochastic diffusion in a low copy number regime, increasing the risk of false negatives. We theoretically assess the feasibility of a smart-needle sensor detecting MAGE-A-positive microvesicles near a tumour. We use a hybrid framework combining particle-based Brownian dynamics (Smoldyn) to quantify stochastic arrival and false negative probabilities, and a reaction-diffusion PDE for mean concentration profiles. Formulating detection as a threshold-based binary hypothesis test, we find a maximum feasible detection radius of approximately 275 micrometers for a 6000 s sensing window. These results outline the physical limits of proximal EV-based detection and inform the design of minimally invasive peri-tumoral sensors.
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Okcu, A. S., Bas, M. E., Akan, O. B. (2025). Physical Limits of Proximal Tumor Detection via MAGE-A Extracellular Vesicles. arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.23555.
A. Sila Okcu, M. Etem Bas, and Ozgur B. Akan. "Physical Limits of Proximal Tumor Detection via MAGE-A Extracellular Vesicles." arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.23555 (2025).