For Immediate Release: January 3, 2025
By Alison Medley
A new way to detect colorectal cancer through wearable sensors has reached a development milestone. University of Houston researcher, Dr. Zhengwei Li. has recently completed a Pilot Program initiative supported by NIMHD and HEALTH-RCMI.
Li’s pilot study is entitled, Development of Ultrasensitve Smart Bioelectronic Sensors for Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Health Disparities Reducing among Black Americans. The project was funded $50,000 by NIMHD and HEALTH-RCMI.
“From this pilot project, we have established a foundation for this work and created new building block components,” Li said. “This offers a good foundation for us--not only for cancer detection but also for other applications.”
Li’s pioneering research is supported by a joint appointment at Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston. He is an assistant professor and Presidential Frontier Faculty Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Cullen College of Engineering.
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths for both men and women in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer disproportionately affects the African American community. The stark reality is that African Americans are 20 percent more likely to get colorectal cancer, and about 40 percent more likely to die from it than other groups.
The promising news is that colorectal cancer is 90 percent beatable when caught early. However, once colorectal cancer has spread, it is much more challenging to treat.
For Li, bridging the health disparities gap is one of the pivotal reasons he is so passionate about creating devices for early detection of cancer.
“From our data, we can see that there are clear disparities among minorities,” Li said. “We want to create more personalized tumor models. We can do a lot in this area, by using the cancer cells, to create personalized treatment—also for screenings.”
During a recent HEALTH-RCMI Innovative Research Talk, Li elaborated on the physical biomarkers for colorectal cancer, such as tissue stiffness. Li’s specific expertise involves creating smart devices to provide biophysical signaling as an important diagnostic tool which can effectively detect diseases, such as cancer.
“It’s important to make smart devices to personalize cancer treatment,” Li said. “We also want to make affordable devices for marginalized populations. This can directly help to reduce health disparities, by making affordable devices which will detect colorectal cancer.”
Throughout the pilot study, Li assembled the materials and the technology to create the sensors. Li explained that the next step in this initiative would be to put all the components together to create smart, wearable biosensors.
“In the early stage, we have already achieved some positive results with building blocks,” Li said. “In this stage, we are testing the device and doing calculations.”
Beyond the aim of colorectal cancer detection, there are many more applications for smart, wearable devices—including skin hydration sensors and urological applications for spinal cord injury patients.
“We want to explore more to create solutions for healthcare innovations,” Li said. “My background is engineering, and I am now collaborating with doctors to learn the real clinical needs. I am exploring how to make some smart devices to help doctors meet their needs. This pilot study offers a good foundation, not only for cancer detection but for other applications. We can make implantable devices to help spinal cord injury patients with urological applications.”
Li remains steadfast about his vision of a cancer-free world, where affordable options for cancer detection are accessible for all families.
“It is still my personal mission to create a biosensor for every family,” Li said. “It will be innovation for the future. My perspective is to make some electronic devices and sensors which will be useful for early cancer detection. We can also have other applications for these smart, wearable devices that will be beneficial for the detection of different cancers.”
If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Alison Medley at 713.320.0933, or email aemedle2@central.uh.edu.
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