Visual abstract. Credit: Lab on a Chip (2026). DOI: 10.1039/d5lc01014d
Who doesn't want cancer testing results at lower cost, with greater speed and accuracy? Interdisciplinary innovators like Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) program leader Brian Cunningham are among the pioneers of the emerging field of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technology aiming to make this dream a reality.
To present the case for the transformative shift in oncology underway thanks to POC molecular diagnostic technology, Cunningham initiated a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary collaboration. The team published a critical review paper arguing that POC technology stands to dramatically change the future of cancer detection, therapy selection, therapy effectiveness monitoring and personalized medicine.
For the paper, Cunningham organized clinical and engineering collaborators from the CCIL, University of Illinois Chicago, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic and Stanford School of Medicine.
The team's critical review paper is published in Lab on a Chip journal, and the issue's cover photo features liquid biopsy POC technology developed in Cunningham's lab that can produce oral cancer results in less than 15 minutes.
