Mucin1 (MUC1) is a common target for aptamers as it is overexpressed in the vast majority of human breast carcinomas, including in the early stages of triple negative breast cancer, and plays a role in the progression and metastatic potential of a tumor lesion.109 To confirm the homing ability of targeted SERS nanoparticles, Pal et al. studied the competitive uptake of solely PEGylated and DNA aptamer functionalized nanoparticles.110 Nude mice were simultaneously implanted with two xenograft tumor models with one lesion overexpressing MUC1 and a MUC1-negative control. The gene discussed is MUC1; the disease is neoplasm.