Dual-mode Au nanoprobe based on surface enhancement Raman scattering and colorimetry for sensitive determination of telomerase activity both in cell extracts and the urine of patients.

Telomerase is a valuable biomarker, which is highly correlated to cancer disease. However, single-mode probe for telomerase detection cannot satisfy the challenge about detection of telomerase activity rapidly, simply with high selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy in preliminary diagnosis and point of care (POC) testing. a novel dual-mode Au dimer probe was developed for quantifying telomerase activity both in cell extracts and the urine of patients based on SERS and colorimetry. The established probe possessed of high selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy, which was approved as a reliable, intuitional and convenient approach for detecting telomerase activity.