CAS CONNECT 2017

I n the race to detect lung cancer, there are several weapons in a medical professional’s repertoire. While imaging tests such as X-rays or CT scans can reveal lesions, one of the most common methods of detection and assessment of a malignancy is a biopsy. A team of bio-analytical chemistry researchers hope to soon offer an alternative to this painful, invasive surgical procedure, assessing the pres- ence and risk of developing lung cancer when it is easiest to treat. Gayan Premaratne, a Ph.D. candidate in chem- istry, is one of a small team of researchers devel- oping a method that could help diagnose the presence of lung cancer by detecting appropri- ate biomarkers, even if a tumor has not devel- oped yet. “We started working on this idea somewhere around the end of 2015,” Premaratne says. “Initially, we started hunting for the things that were available, and we noticed a gap that has not been addressed, where people are not being diagnosed early for lung cancer because all of the techniques that are available are for middle to late stages. This makes it very difficult to be cured.” Premaratne, along with teammates Zainab Al-Mubarak, Asantha Dharmaratne and adviser Dr. Sadagopan Krishnan, began developing the diagnostic technique in 2016, focusing on developing a sensor array to detect biomarkers through a minimally invasive blood test. Instead of a painful and invasive surgical biopsy, the process makes it possible to diagnose possible lung cancer within three hours. “Since our lab works with nanochemistry, we want to use their properties in this test. By determining the biomarker levels, and seeing if the patient has the signs and symptoms of lung cancer, then they don’t have to initially go through painful procedures,” Premaratne says. “Our focus is to give an early diagnosis and predictions, so patients can seek medical profes- sionals to further confirm their status.” The process relies on detecting biomarkers through surface plasmon resonance imaging. The technique measures the adhesion of molecules to a thin surface layer of gold, using the result- ing refractive index changes. It is the team’s hope that the technique can be further developed to assist in early detection of multiple kinds of cancers. The project has been generating a buzz within the College of Arts and Sciences, earning Premaratne a second-place finish in the college- level Three Minute Thesis competition last spring. A native of Sri Lanka, Premaratne is a soft- spoken man with a perpetual smile on his face, and a passion for chemistry and biosciences. After graduating in 2010 from St. Joseph’s College in Bangalore, India, with a degree in science, Premaratne went to work for SGS group in Sri Lanka for three years, before earning his master’s degree in analytical chemistry from the University of Colombo in 2014. The work of his adviser, Dr. Krishnan, drew him to Stillwater. “I really knew I wanted to work in bio-analyt- ical chemistry,” Premaratne says. “I was pretty excited about Dr. Krishnan’s diverse profile of research, and I knew it was something I would really fit in with the background that I have.” With Premaratne on course to graduate with his doctorate in 2018, he looks forward to taking his expertise to wherever he can do the most good for society at large. “I don’t mind being anywhere, as far as where my efforts will help to serve the society,” Premaratne says. “Ph.D.s are universal. With that goal in mind, I would like to work at any institution or organization that uses my expertise well.” Bryan Trude Instead of a painful and invasive surgical biopsy, the process makes it possible to diagnose possible lung cancer within three hours. Time Out for Research team developing quick, easy test for lung cancer 32