5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  Researchers integrated pH-responsive surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanotags into breast cancer cells on a 3D-printed hydrogel scaffold.

• 2

  The nanotags used polymer-coated gold nanostars functionalized with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid to measure local pH through changes in Raman spectral bands.

• 3

  After chemotherapy, surfactant exposure, or plasmonic heating, the sensors detected pH increases, with timing varying from minutes to days.

• 4

  Independent cytotoxicity testing linked the pH increases to cell membrane damage, and Raman maps captured changes at subcellular resolution across millimeter-scale regions.

• 5

  The authors identified calibration stability, sensor variation, nanotag effects, and performance in more complex tissue models as areas for future assessment.