UBC researchers are developing a portable biosensing platform that could bring sophisticated diagnostic testing into clinics, homes, and the field.
Led by professor Karen Cheung, the team is working to shrink laboratory analytical capabilities onto a silicon biophotonics chip, with potential applications ranging from hormone tracking to neurological injury research.
The platform uses custom protein binders, a laser, and specialized electronics to detect and measure multiple molecular targets from a small sample of saliva, urine, or blood. Changing the chip’s surface chemistry allows researchers to investigate different biomarkers using the same underlying technology.
Women’s health is a key motivation. Tracking hormone fluctuations over time could provide information that a single blood test cannot capture.
The project brings together Cheung and UBC professors Govind Kaigala, Sudip Shekhar, and Lukas Chrostowski. Shekhar and Chrostowski also co-founded UBC spin-off Dream Photonics.
According to Innovation UBC, the project secured more than $7.1 million from PacifiCan in February 2026 to advance a field-deployable biosensing platform.
The technology remains under development, with neurological biomarker work at an early research stage. The longer-term ambition is lower-cost, portable testing that reduces reliance on large, centralized laboratory instruments.
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