Metastatic Cancer

Developing a non-invasive test to detect metastatic cancer and its origin with Docent, MD (PhD) Maria Sundvall at Turku University Hospital.

Detecting metastatic cancer (cancer that has spread from the primary to other parts of the body) is one of the most difficult tasks in oncology as it is often asymptomatic in its early stages and by the time a patient feels pain or fatigue, the cancer has often already grown significantly. And even with the advanced technology available in 2026, several “invisible” and biological barriers make it a significant challenge. Current methods, like PET Scan or DNA based liquid biopsy methods have their limitations and there is a need for complementary tests.

Our project with Maria Sundvall is based on few scientific and clinical findings which we have successfully repeated with different patient cohorts (scientific publication). With the latest sample set of six (6) different metastatic cancers that has been collected during the past two (2) years the aim is to find and characterize biomarkers.
In addition to detection, AQ Biotech’s proof-of-concept study aims to understand how biosensors can help in monitoring cancer treatment effectiveness and cancer recurrence. In this study urine samples were taken before the treatment, operation and during recovery with a diary of diet and exercise.