Sponge-like gold nanoparticles could upgrade ovarian cancer diagnostics

A project led by University of Queensland Ph.D. student Javeria Bashir has produced specially crafted gold nanoparticles that can highlight cancer markers in samples like urine, saliva, or blood. Bashir said she hoped to use her gold nanoparticles to help improve survival rates for a cancer that is considered particularly deadly.

“Ovarian cancer rarely shows clear symptoms in its early stages, and diagnosis is often complex,” Bashir said. “Current approaches make it difficult to accurately triage and identify women with ovarian cancer compared to those with benign conditions, often requiring painful and invasive procedures such as tissue biopsy.

“To me, this creates an unacceptable situation for women. At present, there is no effective and accessible test to accurately identify ovarian cancer and prevent women from undergoing unnecessary procedures.”

Guided by experts from UQ’s School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering—in collaboration with the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), UQ Center for Clinical Research (UQCCR), and UQ Center for Extracellular Vesicle Nanomedicine—Bashir sought to improve cancer diagnostics by using the unique biosensing capabilities of sponge-like mesoporous gold nanoparticles.

Working at scales of a billionth of a meter, Bashir was able to boost the sensitivity of gold-enhanced light sensors using a technique called Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). The work is published in the journal Small.

“SERS platforms are already highly sensitive and can detect biomarkers at the nanoscale,” Bashir said. “Using mesoporous gold nanoparticles increased that sensitivity even further compared to nonporous, or commercially available nanoparticles.

“Essentially, the gold particles act like tiny light amplifiers, creating hotspots that reveal even the faintest traces of cancer.”

Bashir said the gold could be embedded in the diagnostic process with a small tube to hold the patient sample and a handheld Raman spectrophotometer. This combination has already been used to outperform current blood tests, achieving 82% sensitivity in confirming ovarian cancer and 98% specificity in ruling it out.

Bashir said the portability, simplicity, and affordability of this sensor technology would be particularly beneficial for women in remote or under-resourced regions.

“This project demonstrates how mesoporous nanotechnologies can help us transform disease monitoring and pave the way for personalized treatment strategies,” Bashir said. “Devices like this are moving closer and closer to everyday use.”