Grant: Project Grant

Ovarian cancer (OC) is often referred to as the "silent" killer since early-stage symptoms are not radically different from certain normal conditions. Worldwide there are 150,000 deaths, annually, and there are estimated to be more than half of a million women currently living with the disease. Notably, the survival rate when the illness is detected in stage I is over 90%. However, the only current diagnostic test for OC is notorious for providing both false positive and negative results. The common imaging modalities are often employed in tandem with this test, but they can not be used in the early stage, large scale, and screening for the disease. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for a low-cost screening test that is rapid, sensitive and selective, and can be applied to the general population. The aim of this project is development of a low-cost general screening test as well as a simple and precise medical device that can be used at the bedside to monitor the progress the disease during the treatment. The former detects a molecule, called Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), in the blood, which was found to be elevated in 90% of stage I OC patients and gradually increases as the disease progresses to later stages. And the latter detects LPA together with other known OC biomarkers to use as a point-of-care testing device. It is envisaged that both tests could be conducted on a small sample of blood, in a similar manner to the blood glucose monitoring devices. The proposed project will follow a unique and novel strategy using electrochemical concept to fabricate these tools with a high sensitivity and selectivity. The proposed project will lead by an interdisciplinary team with diverse backgrounds of chemistry, engineering, clinical biochemistry, and oncology. The development of these testing devices not only would significantly improve the survival of ovarian cancer patients but also would save millions of dollars for the healthcare system.