There are 239,000 new cases of ovarian cancer and 140,000 deaths due to ovarian cancer each year worldwide. However, there are no suitable screening modalities for ovarian cancers and repeated imaging and monitoring of CA125 (a biomarker) levels are often needed to triage equivocal ovarian masses. These detection methods, however, lack accuracy for detecting early-stage asymptomatic disease and, as a result, ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage. Cancer biomarker detection plays a crucial role in early ovarian cancer diagnosis, treatment, and risk assessment, whereas current immunoassay-based detection methods for ovarian cancer biomarkers require costly and bulky instru...

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There are 239,000 new cases of ovarian cancer and 140,000 deaths due to ovarian cancer each year worldwide. However, there are no suitable screening modalities for ovarian cancers and repeated imaging and monitoring of CA125 (a biomarker) levels are often needed to triage equivocal ovarian masses. These detection methods, however, lack accuracy for detecting early-stage asymptomatic disease and, as a result, ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage. Cancer biomarker detection plays a crucial role in early ovarian cancer diagnosis, treatment, and risk assessment, whereas current immunoassay-based detection methods for ovarian cancer biomarkers require costly and bulky instruments, causing limited applications in resource-limited settings. Approximately 60% of ovarian cancer cases occur in less developed countries with limited access to advanced instruments for ovarian cancer detection. The goal of this proposal is to develop a low-cost and accurate nanomaterial-mediated photothermal immunosensing biochip for visual quantitative detection of multiple ovarian cancer biomarkers and for rapid risk assessment using a common thermometer at the point of care (POC). Without relying on sophisticated equipment, this innovative photothermal diagnostic technology has the potential for rapid risk assessment and affordable early detection of ovarian cancer and other cancers that will be particularly valuable in resource-limited settings, such as physician’s offices, rural areas, and developing nations.

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