Abstract
Bladder and cervical cancers are among the most prevalent malignancies globally, presenting
significant challenges in early detection and monitoring. Cytology and molecular-based screening
methods, often used alongside invasive biopsy, are operator-dependent, have inconsistent sensitivity
and specificity, and are costly, limiting their use in resource-poor regions. As an alternative to these
conventional methods, dielectrophoresis (DEP) and surface potential (zeta potential) analysis were
explored as modalities to measure the electrophysiological profile of cells, which differ between
healthy and malignant states.
In a comprehensive bladder cancer clinical study, age-associated differences in urine cellular
electrophysiology were discovered within healthy cohorts, as well as variationsin zeta potential across
bladder cancer grades. Distinct electrophysiological differences between bladder cancer specimens
and healthy controls were also identified, with several measurable parameters yielding high sensitivity
and specificity comparable to commercial adjunct tests. Furthermore, a supplementary clinical
investigation presented a method to store and preserve urine specimens for analysis, demonstrating
the viability of electrophysiological profiling in a clinical setting. The current findings are highly
promising, highlighting the potential of electrophysiological profiling as rapid, label-free, and
cost-effective modalities for bladder cancer detection and disease monitoring.
Expanding this approach to another epithelial cancer, a preclinical study was undertaken to determine
the electrophysiological profile of primary normal epithelial cells, the first investigation of its kind,
comparing the findings to HeLa cervical cancer cells. Distinct characteristics were identified, including
alterations in ion channel activity in diseased cells, potentially associated with increased cancer
survivability. Further analysis explored the use of DEP and zeta potential to detect disease,
demonstrating the potential value of these parameters in diagnostics. These findings provide a strong
foundation for a subsequent clinical study to establish baseline values for cervical cancer diagnostics.