An AND logic gate-based fluorescence probe for the detection of homovanillic acid, an indicator of the tumor

Homovanillic acid (HVA) is one of the major metabolites of catecholamine in human. An elevated level of HVA in urine and blood has been associated with many diseases, including catecholamine-secreting tumors. Consequently, detection of the biomarker HVA in urine is an effective strategy to detect cancer precursors and early stage cancers. In this study, a fluorescence probe is designed and fabricated by integrating lanthanide ions with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The fluorescence probe shows distinguished response toward HVA and exhibits ratiometric detection of HVA, rendering it an excellent candidate for sensing devices. Thus, we have designed logic gate operation integrating the probe with logical operations for the intelligent sensing of HVA. Furthermore, this type of luminesce based sensors integrated with logic gate augur for the further application in real-time early diagnosis of tumors in the future.