Abstract:
Early detection of multiple cancer types (MCED) is essential for improving patient outcomes, particularly for cancers lacking routine screening methods. Existing diagnostic approaches are often invasive, focused on single cancer types, and limited in sensitivity—especially at early stages when tumor-derived biomarkers are scarce. To address these limitations, we present OncoProfiler, a novel blood- based, multiplexed diagnostic platform for ultrasensitive, non-invasive cancer detection. Unlike conventional methods, OncoProfiler targets a new class of non– tumor-associated biomarkers and employs advanced detection technologies capable of identifying trace levels of cancer indicators in blood. The platform simultaneously captures protein, nucleic acid, and lipid biomarkers from ~5 mL of blood and differentiates cancer-specific molecular signatures across a broad spectrum of tumor types. Validated by a diverse clinical cohort of over 3,000 patients across 18 cancers—including breast, lung, colorectal, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate—OncoProfiler demonstrated >90% sensitivity and >99% specificity in early cancer detection by blind validation. Powered by advanced machine learning, OncoProfiler offers a scalable, cost-effective solution that integrates seamlessly into clinical workflows, representing a significant advancement in early cancer diagnostics.
Biography:
Dr. Krishnan Venkatakrishnan is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, an Affiliate Scientist at Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital (SMH), and a member of the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology (iBEST). With decades of experience in nano fabrication and its application in cancer Nano-medicine, Dr. Venkatakrishnan’s research on nano and quantum sensors has resulted in 200+ high impact factor journal publications and 10 US/worldwide granted patents. He has also been working on using these novel nanosensors for clinical applications such as cancer diagnosis for the past decade. His groundbreaking research has been published in top-tier journals (his research group published 66+ high impact-factor journals in last 6 years), such as Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Advanced Science, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Nano, Small, Small Methods, Nano-letters, Nanoscale Horizon, Biosensors & Bioelectronics, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Applied Materials Today). His research group is currently working on the development of Multi Cancer Early Diagnosis (MCED) platform called Oncoprofiler using Liquid Biopsy. He is a recipient of several Researcher Award. He has served as a program and award reviewer for several Canadian and international agencies. Over the last 6 years, his lab has graduated over 25 graduate students. Many of his PhD graduates hold faculty positions at Canadian and US institutions and are research staff in top institutions such as MIT, Imperial College etc. Many of his PhD students held prestigious Ontario Trillium Scholarships and secured NSERC PGS scholarship. He has made significant contributions to nanomaterials fabrication, and manufacturing of scalable sensors for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Dr. Venkatakrishnan leads several labs, including a Class-II nano-bio interface lab, an ultrashort laser fabrication lab at TMU and Biomedical research facility at St. Michael’s Hospital (SMH), Unity Health Toronto, Canada.
