Gold Nanoparticles to Improve Accuracy of Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis

Ovarian cancer is considered one of the deadliest cancers, in part because it rarely shows clear symptoms in its early stages, and diagnosis is often complex. Current approaches make it difficult to accurately triage women with ovarian cancer compared to benign conditions, and often require painful, invasive procedures such as tissue biopsies. Researchers have now developed a new nanoparticle-based approach that can highlight ovarian cancer markers more accurately than current diagnostic tools.

A project led by The University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) and collaborators has led to the development of a technology that uses sponge-like mesoporous gold nanoparticles to improve cancer diagnostics through their unique biosensing properties. These structures act as light amplifiers, revealing even the faintest traces of cancer markers in patient samples such as urine, saliva, or blood.

Image: Mesoporous gold nanoparticles have unique biosensing capabilities (Photo courtesy of The University of Queensland)

Researchers boosted the sensitivity of gold-enhanced light sensors using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Compared with commercially available nanoparticles, mesoporous gold increased sensitivity significantly, enabling tiny "hotspots" of light to amplify biomarker signals. Embedded into a diagnostic process with a small tube and handheld Raman spectrophotometer, the method has already outperformed current blood tests, achieving 82% sensitivity in confirming ovarian cancer and 98% specificity in ruling it out. The research was published in the nanoscience and nanotechnology journal Small.

The portability, affordability, and simplicity of this sensor technology make it especially promising for women in remote or under-resourced regions. By transforming disease monitoring, mesoporous nanotechnologies could reduce unnecessary procedures and help pave the way for more personalized treatment strategies. With further development, devices like this could move closer to everyday clinical use, improving survival rates through earlier and more accurate detection.

“This project demonstrates how mesoporous nanotechnologies can help us transform disease monitoring and pave the way for personalized treatment strategies,” said Javeria Bashir, nanomaterials researcher at The University of Queensland and lead developer of the technology. “Devices like this are moving closer and closer to everyday use.”

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The University of Queensland