WA biotech discovery to improve skin cancer diagnosis

Source: The West Australian, January 2019

A Perth medical science student is commercialising a new biotechnology that is set to dramatically improve the diagnosis of melanoma skin cancer.

Edith Cowan University PhD candidate Pauline Zaenker has developed a blood test that can detect melanoma by checking for a combination of biomarkers produced by a person’s immune system in the earliest stage of the cancer.

The 28-year-old said she began working on the technology in 2012 as a way of improving the early diagnosis of skin cancer, which relies on a skin check and biopsy.