New biosensor device accurately detects breast cancer via saliva, offering a potential breakthrough in at-home, low-cost screening
of ConsumerAffairsAugust 1, 2025
- Handheld saliva test detects breast cancer and even identifies its type, University of Florida researchers say.
- The device uses glucose test strips and transmits its findings to a smartphone via Bluetooth.
- In a test of 29 samples, it correctly identified cancer tissue 100% of the time.
University of Florida researchers have developed a handheld saliva test that can accurately detect breast cancer and even identify its type using a device that fits in the palm of your hand.
Published in the journal Biosensors, the study highlights how this pocket-sized biosensor, refined by UF scientists in dentistry and engineering, simplifies early detection by analyzing biomarkers in a patients saliva in real time. The team says the technology could vastly expand access to breast cancer screening, particularly in rural or low-income communities.
We were able to shrink the sensor platform so it fits in the palm of your hand, which was our whole drive: to make this accessible and portable for patients, said senior author Dr. Josephine Esquivel-Upshaw, a professor in UFs College of Dentistry and member of the UF Health Cancer Center.
The device uses commercially available glucose test strips and a reusable printed circuit board to analyze saliva samples. Within seconds of inserting the sensor strip into a saliva sample, the device displays and transmits results to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth.
In a test involving 29 patient samples, the device correctly identified breast cancer cases 100% of the time and correctly ruled out cancer in 86% of non-cancer patients effectively minimizing false negatives. It also distinguished between healthy individuals, those with early-stage carcinoma in situ, and those with invasive breast cancer.
Affordable, rapid and personal
Esquivel-Upshaw collaborated with chemical engineering professor Fan Ren, graduate student Hsiao-Husuan Wan, and international partners at Taiwans National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and Taidoc. Their innovations included a multi-channel test strip capable of detecting multiple biomarkers simultaneously, which could significantly reduce testing costs.
The implications of such a device are personal for Esquivel-Upshaw. My mother died from breast cancer, so Im at high risk, she said. I get either a mammogram or an MRI every six months. Its a hassle and it can be discouraging. I would much rather give a simple saliva sample at home that would inform the next steps in screening.
Dr. Coy Heldermon, a breast oncologist at UF Health and co-author of the study, said the biosensor could become a companion screening tool alongside traditional mammograms or MRIs or even a first-line test to guide further diagnostics.
This device could improve access to breast cancer screening and significantly reduce health care costs, Heldermon said. If all holds true, it would be a game-changer.
He likened the test to the at-home Cologuard kits for colon cancer, envisioning a future where patients could receive the biosensor by mail, submit a saliva sample, and be referred for further imaging if needed.
Whats next
The UF team is now researching additional saliva biomarkers to improve diagnostic accuracy and expand the biosensors capabilities to detect other diseases. Several patents have already been filed, and the project has received support from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and UFs College of Dentistry.
With approximately 1 in 8 women developing breast cancer in their lifetime, and barriers to screening still common, the UF biosensor offers a glimpse of a future where early cancer detection may be just a saliva sample away.
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