2022 Early Detection Innovation Grant - Dr Ying Zhu

Project Summary

Early detection could increase survival by ten-fold through access to more treatment options, especially curative-intent surgery. However, 80% PC patients are diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic tumours, making them ineligible for surgery. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic tools to detect PC earlier. The project team aims to develop a novel, highly sensitive and affordable blood test for early detection of PC. The blood test targets a new marker in blood called extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are one of the earliest-arising biomarker sources in cancer cells. The new test can detect very small number of EVs in blood, as EVs are usually present at extremely low concentrations in the early stages of PC. The blood test will be implemented using existing diagnostic tool in clinical labs, so that it can reach patients earlier. This research will expand clinical options for PC diagnosis and address the critical technical challenge in early detection. An ultimate goal is to use this assay as a screening test for high-risk populations, so as to benefit them from follow-up surveillance programs and thus reduce overall socio-economic burden.