Modified nucleosides are emerging as promising biomarkers for cancer diagnosis due to their presence in bodily fluids like urine. Current detection methods, such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, are powerful but require time-consuming and complex sample preparation. This project explores surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and its enhanced version, electrochemical SERS (EC-SERS), as a rapid, label-free method for detecting these biomarkers. EC-SERS not only boosts detection sensitivity but also provides rich molecular fingerprinting by modulating analyte orientation on nanoparticle surfaces. The research will focus on distinguishing subtle chemical differences in nucleosides, even in complex media like synthetic urine. 

This project will explore whether EC-SERS is a viable technique for detecting modified nucleosides in complex biofluids like urine. Success would lay the foundation for a minimally invasive, label-free diagnostic tool capable of detecting molecular signatures of cancer at early stages and support future efforts to bring this technology into clinical settings.