STAT Madness was aglow with excitement for the Belcher Lab’s SWIFTI fluorescent imaging system, which allows surgeons to find and remove tiny ovarian cancer tumors. Their bacteriophage-nanotube system won 70% of a record-setting 699,315 votes in the final round; however, it is the 40% improvement in survival in preclinical models that the team is most proud of. “We’re working on a problem that we feel very, very passionately about,” says Belcher. With a near-infrared eye on early detection as well, and a newly granted patent in hand, the team is courting a real slam dunk for ovarian cancer patients.
Cheers also to the Wittrup Lab, which made it to Round 3 with a “Velcro Vaccine” that binds cancer-killing cytokines to collagen inside tumors, preventing damage to healthy tissue. All in all, that's full court impressive!