This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember your browser. We use this information to improve and customize your browsing experience, for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media, and for marketing purposes. By using this website, you accept and agree to be bound by UVic’s Terms of Use for web and social media privacy.  If you do not agree to the above, you can configure your browser’s setting to “do not track.”

Skip to main content
People Departments Maps Buildings Rooms A-Z
University
of Victoria
Apply Library
Sign in Online tools Sign out
Faculty of Graduate Studies

Daniela Moreno Devia

  • Biomedical Engineering (Julio Garavito Colombian School of Engineering, 2023)
Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Science

Topic

Personalized Protocol to Monitor Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Responses using SERS

Department of Chemistry

Date & location

  • Friday, August 14, 2026
  • 10:00 A.M.
  • Elliott Building, Room 226

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Alexandre Brolo, Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
  • Dr. Karolina Papera Valente, Department of Chemistry, UVic (Member)

External Examiner

  • Dr. Stephanie Willerth, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UVic

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. Douglas Briant, Department of Biology, UVic

Abstract

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) offers a powerful, non-destructive approach for detecting subtle biochemical changes in cellular systems. In this thesis, SERS was combined with principal component analysis (PCA) to investigate radiation-induced metabolic responses in the supernatant of three breast cancer cell lines: MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and SK-BR-3, following exposure to 0, 5, and 10 Gy of ionizing radiation. Gold nanostructured SERS substrates were fabricated via electrochemical deposition, providing reproducible enhancement suitable for high throughput spectral mapping. Supernatant samples were collected over a 3–4 day time course, and more than 800 spectra per sample were acquired and preprocessed for multivariate analysis.

PCA revealed that radiation dependent biochemical variation was captured primarily in PC2 for MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, and PC1 for SK-BR-3, enabling cell line specific tracking of metabolic trajectories. Temporal PC score evolution and boxplot distributions showed distinct subtype dependent responses: MDA-MB-231 exhibited rapid early biochemical shifts consistent with oxidative stress; MCF-7 displayed gradual, sustained changes reflecting metabolic adaptation; and SK-BR-3 demonstrated a biphasic pattern characterized by early heterogeneous stress followed by a delayed but pronounced biochemical divergence. These spectral findings were validated through cell count assays, which confirmed that SK-BR-3 was the most radiosensitive line, MCF-7 showed intermediate sensitivity, and MDA-MB-231 remained comparatively resistant.

Overall, this work establishes that SERS of cell culture supernatant, supported by PCA and phenotypic validation, can sensitively detect radiation induced biochemical changes that precede overt cytotoxicity. The results highlight the potential of SERS based approaches for characterizing radiosensitivity in vitro and lay the groundwork for future applications in treatment monitoring and personalized radiotherapy.

Back to oral exams