CLOSING THE DIAGNOSTIC GAP IN OVARIAN CANCER DETECTION

With
Associate Professor Michelle Hill
Founder and CEO
ProSeek bio

PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE SEGMENT
Filmed in Brisbane & Sydney | May 2026

After 15 years in academia, Associate Professor Michelle Hill founded ProSeek bio to address one of the most urgent challenges in women’s health: closing the diagnostic gap in ovarian cancer.

For too long, women suspected of ovarian cancer have faced an impossible choice — undergo invasive surgery for diagnosis, only for up to 80% of those procedures to reveal no cancer, or delay intervention and risk diagnosis at a later stage when treatment options are fewer and survival outcomes are significantly worse.

ProSeek bio is developing a non-invasive blood test designed to help clinicians determine whether surgery is truly necessary. Using advanced glycoproteomics to detect ovarian cancer biomarkers in blood, the technology is being developed to deliver more precise diagnostic insights through blood sample processed in existing pathology laboratories.

The goal is clear: enable earlier diagnosis, reduce unnecessary surgeries, lower healthcare costs and improve survival outcomes for women.

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal women’s cancer because symptoms are often vague, common and easily overlooked. Bloating, pelvic pain and unexplained weight changes are frequently dismissed, contributing to delayed diagnosis in more than 70% of cases. Yet when ovarian cancer is detected early, more than 90% of women survive at least five years. When diagnosed late, survival drops dramatically.

ProSeek bio was founded to change that reality.

Built on more than a decade of biomarker research, the company is translating academic discovery into a clinical diagnostic tool with the potential to transform how ovarian cancer is detected and managed.

By giving clinicians a faster, safer and less invasive way to assess risk, Assoc Prof Hilll talks about how ProSeek bio is working to change the diagnostic pathway for ovarian cancer — reducing harm, improving decision-making and helping save women’s lives.

Source: Adapted from transcript
Event Credit: Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA)
Ovarian cancer statistics credit: Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF)