# Development of a plasmonic-based liquid biopsy platform capable of ultrasensitive detection of KRAS mutations in the blood and urine of patients with Stage 0 and Stage I colorectal cancer
# Potential applications include early cancer detection, companion diagnostics, treatment response assessment, and monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) and cancer recurrence.
CHANGWON, South Korea — Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) , led by President Chul-jin Choi, announced that a research team led by Minyoung Lee and Sunggyu Park of the Bio & Health Materials Research Division has developed a plasmonic-based liquid biopsy platform capable of ultrasensitive detection of KRAS mut ations in the blood and urine of patients with early-stage colorectal cancer. By analyzing matched tumor tissue, plasma, and urine samples from patients with Stage 0 and Stage I colorectal cancer, the researchers demonstrated over 90% concordance in KRAS mutation status across the three specimen types, supporting the platform's potential as a non-invasive precision cancer diagnostic technology.
The KIMS research team previously developed a plasmonic-based liquid biopsy technology capable of detecting EGFR mutations in the blood of lung cancer patients with world-leading sensitivity. The present study extends that platform to the detection of KRAS mutations, one of the major genetic drivers of colorectal cancer, and further demonstrates successful mutation detection in urine as well as blood.
As precision oncology and personalized medicine continue to advance, increasing attention has been given to liquid biopsy technologies that analyze cancer-associated genetic mutations using blood or urine samples. Compared with conventional tissue biopsy, liquid biopsy is minimally invasive, imposes less burden on patients, and enables repeated testing, making it particularly valuable for early cancer detection and recurrence monitoring. However, because tumor-derived genetic mutations are present only at extremely low concentrations in the blood and urine of patients with early-stage cancer, conventional PCR-based methods and ultra-deep next-generation sequencing (NGS) have faced limitations in detection sensitivity, cost, and turnaround time.
To address these challenges, the research team developed a liquid biopsy platform that combines plasmonic signal amplification with selective mutation amplification for highly sensitive detection of trace levels of KRAS mutations. The platform combines mutation-selective amplification with plasmonic signal enhancement, enabling highly sensitive detection of rare KRAS mutant DNA against an excess background of wild-type DNA. This approach demonstrates the potential for accurate analysis of cancer-associated mutations in early-stage patients providing a complementary approach that may reduce reliance on ultra-deep NGS in selected clinical and research applications.
The study also demonstrates that KIMS's liquid biopsy platform, which integrates plasmonic nanomaterials with bio-diagnostic technologies, can be expanded to a broad range of cancers and biomarkers. By extending analysis beyond blood to non-invasive specimens such as urine, the platform has the potential to reduce patient burden while enabling future applications in early cancer detection, companion diagnostics, treatment response assessment, monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD), and recurrence surveillance.
As the global liquid biopsy market continues to expand, the technology has the potential to complement existing NGS-based liquid biopsy platforms by providing a rapid and highly sensitive alternative for mutation analysis. The researchers also anticipate expanding the platform beyond colorectal cancer to other malignancies, including lung and pancreatic cancers, thereby strengthening Korea's precision diagnostics and medical device industries while enhancing their global competitiveness.
“This study demonstrates both the applicability of our plasmonic liquid biopsy platform to colorectal cancer and the feasibility of urine-based cancer mutation analysis,” said Minyoung Lee, senior researcher at Korea Institute of Materials Science. “We plan to further develop the technology into a precision diagnostic platform applicable to a wide range of cancers for early diagnosis and recurrence monitoring.”Sunggyu Park, principal researcher at KIMS and Director of the Global TOP Strategic Research Center, added, “By integrating plasmonic materials with bio-diagnostic technologies, we will continue advancing next-generation precision diagnostic platforms.”KIMS President Chul-jin Choi said, “Through the convergence of materials science and biotechnology, KIMS will continue striving to secure world-leading original technologies in national strategic fields, including advanced biotechnology.”
The research was supported by the Materials and Components Technology Development Program funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Global TOP Strategic Research Center for Ultrasensitive Precision Cancer Mutation Analysis under the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST), funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The findings were published online on May 2, 2026, in npj Precision Oncology (Impact Factor: 8.0), a leading international journal in the field of precision medicine. The team has also secured related intellectual property and plans to further validate the platform across additional cancer types, including pancreatic cancer, while pursuing technology transfer and commercialization.
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About Korea Institute of Materials Science(KIMS)
KIMS is a non-profit government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea. As the only institute specializing in comprehensive materials technologies in Korea, KIMS has contributed to Korean industry by carrying out a wide range of activities related to materials science including R&D, inspection, testing&evaluation, and technology support.
npj Precision Oncology
Translational feasibility of a plasmonic microarray–based liquid biopsy for KRAS codon mutation detection across tissue, plasma, and urine in early colorectal cancer
2-May-2026