Creating better diagnostics

“We use nanotechnology to fill some of the gaps in clinical diagnosis,” Ying said. “Believe it or not, some of those gaps are simply because there is a lack of technology that can detect the small traces of biomarkers in your body.”

Ying and her colleagues are developing tools sensitive enough to pick up the tiny traces of disease that can otherwise go unnoticed. The technology they use allows them to see and study particles at the nanoscale, helping reveal signs of cancer that could one day lead to earlier diagnosis and better care.

“What we really hope is that our technology can provide more accurate signals and better outcomes for patients,” Ying said. “If we can detect disease earlier, or identify risk more precisely, that gives patients and clinicians more options.”

Diagnosis at the nanoscale

As a biomedical engineer and nanotechnologist, and the group leader of the Laboratory of In-Vitro NanoDiagnostics, Ying uses engineering to solve problems in medicine and health, including by designing nanoscale tools that can pick up signs of disease that standard methods may miss.

“Our research hopes to make diagnosis less invasive, more sensitive and more useful in clinical settings,” she explained.

A major focus of Ying’s research is liquid biopsy, using a blood sample to look for clues about cancer. 

“Instead of relying only on tissue taken directly from a tumour, we analyse what cancer sheds into the bloodstream. This approach could make testing easier on patients and could also help doctors track disease over time.”

Our research hopes to make diagnosis less invasive, more sensitive and more useful in clinical settings.

For Ying, one of the most important particles is extracellular vesicles, or EVs, nanoscale particles shed by tumour cells that carry molecular fingerprints of disease.

“These are fascinating nanoparticles because they carry detailed information about what is happening in the body,” Ying said. “If we can read them properly, they can give us very accurate information about the disease status.”

Ying’s work aims to read that information in much finer detail and develop molecular tools for precision diagnostics, harnessing the unique optical properties of nanoscale materials to generate molecular evidence that enables precise and timely clinical decisions.

“Rather than looking at everything as a mixed soup, we want to identify individual vesicles and see which biomarkers each one carries,” Ying said. 

Technology for advanced diagnostics 

Ying and her colleagues combine engineered nanomaterials with advanced optical sensing systems that use light to detect extremely small biological changes. The team also uses specialised equipment such as nanoparticle tracking analysis.

“Our equipment is helping build new capability at UTS, giving our researchers a way to study these tiny particles with far greater precision,” explained Ying who has trained more than 50 users across the university to use it, expanding UTS’s expertise in this fast-moving area of nanobiotechnology.

Another area where Ying’s research could have major impact is pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers that is difficult to detect early and for which there is still no effective early diagnostic tool.

“Our blood-based tests could help identify cancer sooner and better distinguish which pancreatic lesions are likely to become dangerous,” she said.

For patients, this could mean earlier diagnosis, fewer unnecessary procedures and more timely treatment for those most at risk. 

As her research continues to evolve, Ying is at the leading edge of precision diagnostics where engineering, nanotechnology and clinical needs come together to create earlier diagnosis, less invasive care and more informed treatment decisions. 

What’s next?

• Learn about Ying’s research.
• Receive the standing invitation to Research Café by emailing reshub@uts.edu.au