BioMark Diagnostics Early cancer detection using biomarkers could save lives and healthcare system resources By Angela Harmantas
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arly detection is critical to improving survival rates and treatment outcomes for cancer patients, but traditional approaches such as mammograms, lowdose CT scans, and biopsies, while effective, come with challenges. High costs, accessibility, invasiveness, and the potential for false positives are some of the factors that can lead to delays in diagnosis or unnecessary treatments. To help overcome these hurdles, BioMark Diagnostics (CSE:BUX; OTCQB:BMKDF) is exploring metabolomics leveraging AI and other complementary technologies with the potential to revolutionize early cancer detection. Metabolomics studies the byproducts of metabolic processes in the body. Its application in cancer research means a non-invasive and highly sensitive method of early detection could be on the horizon. By identifying the distinct metabolic fingerprints left behind by cancer cells, this technology can detect the disease at much earlier stages, even before physical symptoms emerge. As BioMark Chief Executive Officer Rashid Bux explained recently to Canadian Securities Exchange Magazine, the company’s
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THE TECHNOLOGY ISSUE
innovative work could pave the way to a future where early cancer detection is reliable, economical, accessible, and patient-friendly. The idea of detecting cancer early using a simple fluid test sounds like a holy grail. What set BioMark on this path?
For me, it was a deeply personal journey. My sister was diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer, and she passed away two years later. I found a technology that was based on using a drug approved for Parkinson's and influenza to regulate an enzyme called spermidine/spermine N-1-acetyltransferase (SSAT), which is highly expressed in certain cancers. The idea of repurposing this drug to regulate this enzyme for cancer detection was novel and had never been explored before. When I discovered the potential of this technology, it resonated with me emotionally. I had just lost my sister, and this was an innovative solution being developed right here in Canada. I licensed the technology 14 years ago. Over the years, we’ve adapted this technology to track tumour burden, including brain cancer. We’ve focused a lot of effort on glioblastoma (GBM), where patients typically