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Scientists at Cankiri Karatekin University (CAKU) and Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University (COMU) have created a test system capable of detecting ovarian cancer within about half a minute, at a low production cost.
Associate Professor Melike Bilgi Kamac of CAKU's Faculty of Science and her team, along with Professor Mustafa Kemal Sezginturk of COMU's Faculty of Engineering, began working on early diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2018 with support from the TUBITAK 1001 Program, Türkiye's national scientific and technological research funding program.
The research led to the development of electrochemical biosensor systems capable of simultaneously measuring biomarkers important for the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
The system will function as what is known in the health field as a "point-of-care test," allowing results to be obtained quickly without the need for a laboratory setting.
The disposable biosensors, which can perform multiple analyses simultaneously, are expected to play an important role in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer and the monitoring of neurological processes.
Kamac stated that the biosensor system allows patients to test themselves at home using a single drop of blood, similar to blood sugar measurement.
She emphasized that the biggest advantage is speed, with measurements taken in 20 to 30 seconds compared to traditional laboratory methods, which require specialists and often take a day or more to produce results.
She added that the system could also be used to monitor whether chemotherapy is proving effective after a diagnosis and that doctors could use it directly in clinics, while patients could eventually use it at home if the product is commercialized and sold in pharmacies.
Kamac explained that a second TUBITAK 1001 project, accepted in 2022, focused on the simultaneous measurement of four different potential biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer.
She noted that the strips used in such tests are normally imported and expensive, but her team produced them in-house instead.
The electrodes they developed can measure the ovarian cancer biomarker along with four other biomarkers at once, and a patent application has been filed for both the electrode production process and the panel systems used for diagnosis.
Kamac said their research also extends to neurological biomarkers and that after being published in internationally indexed journals with high impact factors in 2023 and 2026, the work drew the attention of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, leading to an invitation for full membership.
She said she felt greatly honored by the recognition, adding that it reflects international appreciation for the team's work and has boosted her motivation going forward.
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