A Rapid and Affordable Screening Tool for Early-Stage Ovarian Cancer Detection Based on MALDI-ToF MS of Blood Serum  
[PERSON]  
1 Bioenhanancer Systems, Office 63 182-184 High Street North, East Ham, London E6 2 JA, UK; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]
2 Centro de investigacio Interdisciplinar Gas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitario Egas Moniz, 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal 2  
[PERSON]  
3 MAP Sciences Ltd., The iLab, Stannard Way, Priory Business Park, Bedford MK4 3 RZ, UK; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (R.Z. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.C.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.S.J);
4 NISAD (Lund), Medicon Village, SE-223 81 Lund, Sweden 4  
[PERSON]  
3 MAP Sciences Ltd., The iLab, Stannard Way, Priory Business Park, Bedford MK4 3 RZ, UK; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (R.Z. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.C.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.S.J);
4 NISAD (Lund), Medicon Village, SE-223 81 Lund, Sweden 4  
[PERSON]  
1 Bioenhanancer Systems, Office 63 182-184 High Street North, East Ham, London E6 2 JA, UK; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]
2 Centro de investigacio Interdisciplinar Gas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitario Egas Moniz, 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal 2  
[PERSON]  
3 MAP Sciences Ltd., The iLab, Stannard Way, Priory Business Park, Bedford MK4 3 RZ, UK; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (R.Z. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.C.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.S.J);
4 NISAD (Lund), Medicon Village, SE-223 81 Lund, Sweden 4  
[PERSON]  
3 MAP Sciences Ltd., The iLab, Stannard Way, Priory Business Park, Bedford MK4 3 RZ, UK; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (R.Z. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.C.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.S.J);
4 NISAD (Lund), Medicon Village, SE-223 81 Lund, Sweden 4  
[PERSON]  
1 Bioenhanancer Systems, Office 63 182-184 High Street North, East Ham, London E6 2 JA, UK; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]
2 Centro de investigacio Interdisciplinar Gas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitario Egas Moniz, 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal 2  
[PERSON]  
3 MAP Sciences Ltd., The iLab, Stannard Way, Priory Business Park, Bedford MK4 3 RZ, UK; ramita. female populations [3; 7]. As this type of cancer shows no symptoms during initial stages, the early detection must rely on the least invasive and the most reliable screening tests to prevent potential damage to women's reproductive systems due to further invasive examination [2; 4; 5]. Currently, ovarian cancer screening programs are based on annual medical check-ups consisting of pelvic examination combined with a transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and serum CA-125 measurement by immunoassay [3; 5]. TVUS imaging of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries for unusual masses detects benign and malignant masses with poor discrimination [2; 5]. The CA-125 blood test has been used clinically for more than 30 years and is based on quantification of the CA-125 mucin-glycoprotein epitope in the blood, using a threshold cut-off value as a biomarker for ovarian cancer and other malignancies [3; 5]. However, this biomarker fails to detect 50% of ovarian cancer at its early stage (FIGO/AJCC stage 1 and 2), 25% at stage 3, and 10% at stage 4, motivating researchers to search for new biomarkers [3; 5]. Furthermore, the current costs of these screening programs are a huge burden for health care systems, leading many in the USA to stop supporting these programs due to the low accuracy for early stage detection [2; 7]. Recently, some tests based on combining multiple novel blood biomarkers and circulating tumor-derived RNA signatures have shown higher sensitivities and have been proposed as potential future solutions [2; 8; 9]. However, these approaches are also associated with a substantial increase in the costs per patient, which will make it difficult for many countries to implement screening programs for their general population. Based on these practical considerations, it is urgent to find novel and affordable solutions when conducting large screening programs for early detection of ovarian cancer. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF MS) is a very sensitive, affordable, and accurate technique for mass determination of biomolecules [10; 11; 12; 13].