Dow dental researchers win national award for oral cancer detection study

KARACHI: Two dental house officers from Dow International Dental College (DIDC), Karachi, have received national recognition for an ongoing research project exploring an approach to the early detection of cancerous and precancerous oral lesions.

Dr Syeda Tehreem Irfan and Dr Warisha Tul Islam won the Best Implementation Award at Pakistan’s Nationwide STEM Talent Search Competition for their research titled “Development of Microfluidic Intact Cell Assay (MICA) System Using Beta Defensin Index in the early detection of cancerous and precancerous oral lesions in Pakistan.”

The researchers presented their project at the competition, held at Expo Centre Karachi, where their work focused on combining a Microfluidic Intact Cell Assay (MICA) system with the Beta Defensin Index to explore the early identification of cancerous and precancerous changes in oral lesions.

The research is being pursued in the Pakistani context and is aimed at exploring a potential approach that could contribute to earlier recognition of potentially serious oral lesions. The project remains ongoing, and its recognition at the competition does not establish the MICA system as a clinically validated diagnostic method.

Along with the Best Implementation Award, the two researchers received a trophy, medal and cash prize of Rs100,000.

The award came at a national STEM competition organised by Lok Sahaita Trust in collaboration with NED University of Engineering and Technology (NEDUET) and the Asma M. Hashmi STEM Centre, NEDUET.

The competition received more than 200 applications from across Pakistan, with 28 teams selected as finalists to present their projects. The initiative recognised young innovators working on challenges facing the country across eight thematic areas, including Health and Biomedical Innovations.

According to the researchers, their oral cancer research project was the only medical project among the 28 finalists, while the other finalist projects largely involved engineering and artificial intelligence-based innovations.

The competition jury comprised Dr Iqrar Ahmed Khan, Chairperson of the Punjab Higher Education Commission; Zainab Faisal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Consumer Connect; and Syed Muhammad Owais Kazmi, Chief Information Officer of NayaPay.

The research brings dental science into a broader STEM setting by examining how biomedical and microfluidic technologies could potentially support the earlier recognition of oral lesions. Its focus is particularly relevant to oral healthcare because identifying potentially malignant changes at an earlier stage can facilitate timely clinical assessment and management.

For the two Dow International Dental College researchers, the national award provides recognition for an emerging area of dental and biomedical research while drawing attention to the continuing effort to develop and evaluate new approaches to early oral cancer detection in Pakistan.