Researcher working on holy grail of ovarian cancer test
A SYDNEY-based ovarian cancer researcher wants to harness the power of DNA fragments to create the first-ever blood-based population screening test.
Pride of Australia
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A SYDNEY-based ovarian cancer researcher wants to harness the power of DNA to create the first-ever blood-based population screening test.
Pride of Australia nominee Nicole Yuwono is working on an early detection method for ovarian cancer — the most deadly form of all gynaecological cancers.
Ms Yuwono, 27, said it was difficult to detect and often diagnosed at a late stage when odds of survival decreased drastically to about 45 per cent.
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With no screening test available, doctors have to rely on women noticing symptoms such as abdominal pain, indigestion, bloating and bleeding.
“Currently you have to rely on women noticing their symptoms which, unfortunately with ovarian cancer, are very vague and overlap with a lot of other both cancer and non cancer diseases,” said Ms Yuwono, a PhD student at the University of NSW.
“The thing to look for is if symptoms persist, you really need to get them checked.”
Ms Yuwono said a better understanding of “circulating” DNA biology, where cells release small fragments of their DNA into the bloodstream, could help develop a biomarker for a blood-based ovarian cancer population screening test.
A biomarker is a biological molecule in the blood that indicates the presence of a disease such as cancer. Scientists have spent years looking for a non-invasive detection method.
“Cancer is just like a ball of cells that can’t stop growing, but some of them naturally die and when they die they release their contents into the bloodstream,” Ms Yuwono said. “One of the things they release is the cancer DNA — it is different to normal DNA.”
Ms Yuwono’s research, funded by the Translational Cancer Research Network, is trying to discover features of circulating DNA by collecting blood from healthy women and ovarian cancer patients alike.
She said she was “thrilled” to be nominated for a Pride of Australia award, which honours the achievements of extraordinary individuals.
“It’s very surreal but I’m very excited,” she said.