Presence of SSAT-1 as a marker for early diagnosis and monitoring of cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In Canada, cancer accounts for 30% of all deaths, and half of all
Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime. Many cancers can be prevented or controlled through early detection, but the
availability of such tests is scarce and a reliable general biomarker for different types of cancers has not been yet discovered.
Moreover, cancer survivors are at greater risk of developing a second cancer, and affordable and safe monitoring for the rest
of their lives is not available. We propose the development of serological and qPCR tests for early diagnosis of cancer based
on the presence of SSAT-1.
Since the technology will be used to screen for early-stage cancers, it is a life-saving approach, and therefore of clear social
benefit to Canada. The health benefits to Canada in developing reliable and cost-effective early cancer detection and screening
devices will assist the Canadian medical community and patients at large. Early detection and screening save lives and costs
that burden the medical budget. Also, this methodology is beneficial to monitor populations at high cancer development risk,
such as smokers, industrial, and occupational workers.

Faculty Supervisor:

Horacio Bach

Student:

Partner:

Biomark Diagnostics Inc.

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: