Detection and classification of cancer is challenging because current methods are often clinically ambiguous, expensive and/or laborious. Molecular tests have been developed over past decades but they lack accuracy, clinical applicability and are poorly scalable to population level screening. New methods are needed to meet the requirements of modern healthcare and to overcome challenges of cancer detection. Non-invasive sampling together with a novel detection method could enable affordable and scalable cancer detection.

In this work, phage-biosensors were developed to detect specific biomarkers and cancer from non-invasive urine samples. Phages can be used as bioreceptors in modern biosensors. They are robust, affordable, easily modifiable, and quick to produce in large amounts. In cancer detection, they were combined with chemical modulation of time-resolved fluorescence to enhance the detection sensitivity and accuracy. Phages were selected in a two-stage affinity selection and used in biosensors. Results were measured via optical detection with both time-resolved fluorescence and absorbance. Biosensors were developed towards model analytes and different cancers from urine. The biophysical properties of the biosensor method were studied with biomarkers to understand behaviour in the detection reaction.

Phage-biosensors detected lethal prostate cancer with sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 75% and metastatic cancer respectively with 70% sensitivity and 79% specificity. An infection indicator C-reactive protein (CRP) was detected at a clinically relevant area. Liquid Crystalline behaviour of the biosensor was studied in detection of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) with the limit of detection was 0.24 μg/ml.

The method is suitable for analyzing non-invasive samples, such as urine, and single biomarkers. The method may offer novel ways to detect cancer and target multiple biomarkers at once from non-invasive samples.