QUT researchers have developed a simple one-hour saliva test for a protein biomarker that has been linked with oral, colon and pancreatic cancers.
New technique could be point-of-care screening to identify and treat cancer early
The S100P biomarker linked to oral, colon, prostate, and pancreatic cancer
Low-cost and portable diagnostic tool
Corresponding author Associate Professor Emad Kiriakous, from QUT's School of Chemistry and Physics said this technology could pave the way for simple, lowcost, pointofcare screening tools to help identify and treat cancer early.
Professor Kiriakous said the QUT team developed a rapid testing technique of saliva using paper coated in gold and silver nanoparticles to create a highly sensitive sensor that records the Raman spectrum (or SERS, the process by which a substance scatters laser light which is used to identify molecules) of saliva samples.
"We used a rapid and inexpensive green synthesis with deep UV LED light to chemically link the antibodies to the surface so that we could observe and record the SERS of S100P for the first time," Professor Kiriakous said.
"To maximise the integrity of the new method we developed a target specific paper extractor chip to selectively bind to the biomarker in the saliva sample before the SERS measurement."
Professor Kiriakous said identifying cancer or precancerous changes at an early stage allowed prompt intervention to slow or prevent disease progression.
"The protein S100P is one of the biomarkers investigated for cancer diagnosis and has been detected in ovarian, prostate, gastric, colorectal and breast cancers.
"Using a lightactivated material on paper, allows a system that avoids the complicated chemistry normally required in biomarker detection, and by using saliva avoids invasive blood or biopsy sampling.
"It also reduces the cost of biosensor manufacturing and eliminates the associated chemical waste to protect the environment.
"This method could shorten diagnosis time to minutes instead of hours or days and uses low-cost and portable materials."
The QUT research team comprised: Fatimah Alzubaidi, Professor Godwin Ayoko, Associate Professor Emad Kiriakous, Professor Prashant Sonar, Dr Tuquabo Tesfamichael.
The study, Label free paper sensor and light driven material for the rapid screening of S100P cancer biomarker in saliva, was published in the journal, Talanta.
(Main photo, from left: Dr Tuquabo Tesfamichael, Professor Emad Kiriakous, Professor Prashant Sonar.)
