The innovative test, which resembles a COVID-19 home testing kit, can identify a patient’s breast cancer type in just two hours—a process that traditionally takes weeks or even months. According to Katie Ghiardi, lead media and public relations specialist at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Centre, the technology could dramatically reduce treatment costs, cutting standard chemotherapy expenses of $100 per month to just $1 for targeted hormone therapy. This cost reduction could make life-saving care accessible to hundreds of thousands of women currently facing financial devastation from a breast cancer diagnosis.
Adebamowo’s invention stems from decades of experience observing the limitations of cancer diagnostics in Nigeria. During his surgical oncology training at University College Hospital, Ibadan, he encountered abandoned attempts to establish receptor testing for breast cancer patients—a procedure that would allow oncologists to prescribe targeted therapies rather than subjecting all patients to standard chemotherapy.
“As a surgical oncologist treating women with breast cancer in Nigeria, there were limitations imposed by not being able to characterise the type of breast cancer these women had,” Adebamowo recalled.
Breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancers account for the highest burden of cancer cases and deaths in Nigeria, with breast cancer alone estimated to have caused over 32,000 new cases and more than 16,000 deaths in 2022, making it the most common cancer among Nigerian women.
In developed countries, pathologists use sophisticated laboratory systems to identify protein receptors in tumours, enabling personalised treatment. Such infrastructure is largely unavailable in many low- and middle-income countries, where healthcare resources often focus on communicable diseases rather than non-communicable illnesses like cancer.
Adebamowo’s prototype, developed in collaboration with bioengineers at the University of Maryland, tests for three critical breast cancer-related receptors: estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2. The test, roughly the size of a thick microscope slide, works by adding a tumour sample to a sample well, diluting it with liquid phosphate saline buffer, and allowing the solution to travel up the test strip. A red line indicates the presence of a receptor, while a control line confirms the test’s validity. A specialised machine then interprets the results, providing oncologists with actionable information for treatment decisions, whether chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, surgery, or radiation.
Without receptor information, doctors often default to standard chemotherapy—a costly and physically taxing approach causing side effects like nausea, hair loss, fatigue, and heightened infection risk. Hormone therapy, by contrast, costs roughly $1 per month and is significantly gentler on patients.
“This would substantially reduce the financial impact on patients,” Adebamowo said. “It’s exciting to know that access to affordable, targeted treatment could be possible for so many women.”
Beyond cost, the rapid turnaround addresses another barrier in low-resource settings. Traditional receptor testing often involves sending tumour samples to distant labs, with results taking weeks or months to return—delays that can allow cancers to progress and discourage patients from continuing treatment. Adebamowo’s two-hour test enables immediate treatment decisions during the same clinic visit.
Importantly, the test does not require specialist pathologists to interpret results, making it deployable in rural areas and smaller healthcare facilities, democratising access to life-saving diagnostics for underserved populations.
Adebamowo estimates that hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, could benefit from the technology. Having previously invested personal resources into developing receptor testing infrastructure in Nigeria, he recognises that systemic, scalable solutions are needed to address the continent-wide diagnostic gap.
He is now pursuing clinical validation, regulatory approvals, and partnerships to mass-produce the test. A patent application for the toolkit has already been filed, with engagement ongoing with manufacturers capable of large-scale production.
Reflecting on the decades-long journey, Adebamowo sees the invention as the culmination of his commitment to patients: “This would have been quite revolutionary,” he said, imagining how women in Nigeria could have avoided unnecessarily harsh treatments had such a test been available.
The breakthrough highlights a broader principle in global health: innovations designed for resource-limited settings can deliver transformative impact, often surpassing attempts to transplant expensive Western medical systems into developing countries.
This test represents not just a technological advancement, but a potential lifeline for thousands of women who previously faced the dual burdens of aggressive cancer treatment and financial devastation.