Sina Lab

04/09/2026

🌟 An inspiring three days at the Australian Future Sensing Conference! 🌟

The SINA Lab team had a fantastic time at La Trobe University in Melbourne, connecting with Australia’s sensing community and celebrating outstanding advances in sensor science and technology.

We are incredibly proud that our Group Leader, Dr Abu Sina, was part of the organising committee that brought so many distinguished scientists together on one platform to exchange ideas, showcase innovative research and build new collaborations.

A very special thanks to Olga Bubnova, Chief Editor of Nature Sensors, whose presence and valuable insights added extra shine to the conference and made it even more memorable.

The conference featured an exceptional lineup of plenary, national and international speakers. Their inspiring presentations and contributions played an important role in making the event such a great success.

Congratulations every member of the organising committee for delivering a truly outstanding conference. We look forward to seeing the exciting research and collaborations that emerge from these two inspiring days!

02/09/2026

🧬 Bridging Biosciences: SBMS–BABS Joint Research Symposium 2026

Today marks the first day of the two-day Joint Research Symposium between the UNSW School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS) and the School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences (BABS).

SINA Lab is delighted to be part of this exciting event, bringing together researchers, academics and students to share their latest discoveries, exchange ideas and build new collaborations across the biosciences.

We are also proud that our Group Leader, Dr Abu Sina, is serving as a Co-Lead of the 2026 symposium.

We look forward to two inspiring days of excellent science, meaningful discussions and new connections!

31/08/2026

SINA Lab was delighted to welcome Dr Olga Bubnova, Chief Editor of Nature Sensors, to UNSW for a special session titled:

“Publishing in Nature Portfolio Journals: An Editor’s Perspective and Q&A”

Hosted by the UNSW School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (BABS) and co-hosted by the Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN), the session brought together academics and researchers from different schools across UNSW.

Nature Sensors is a highly selective new Nature-branded journal dedicated to cutting-edge sensor research and its real-world applications. The journal aims to maintain exceptional quality and establish itself among leading Nature Portfolio titles, following the high standards associated with journals such as Nature Medicine and Nature Biotechnology.

The session was highly engaging and interactive, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable insights into publishing in Nature Sensors and other Nature Portfolio journals from an editor’s perspective.

We also had a wonderful time continuing our conversations with Olga over lunch at The Lounge.

Thank you, Olga, for accepting SINA Lab’s to deliver a session at UNSW, visiting SINA Lab and so generously sharing your time, experience and insights. It was an absolute pleasure having you at UNSW!

30/08/2026

🔬🎉 New publication in Science Advances!

We are excited to share that our latest work on Methylscape, popularly known as the “10-minute cancer test,” has been published in Science Advances, a prominent journal from the Science family!

Dr Abu Sina, Head of SINA Lab, at the School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney is a co-inventor of the original Methylscape technology and co-corresponding author of this new study.

First reported in Nature Communications, Methylscape was developed as a rapid and potentially accessible approach to cancer detection by exploiting the unique properties of cancer-associated DNA methylation.

In this latest study, we take Methylscape a step further, demonstrating its potential not only for cancer detection, but also for tracking breast cancer progression, including through a low-cost, disposable electrochemical platform.

Importantly, the technology is now moving beyond academic research towards clinical translation and commercialisation, with clinical studies progressing in partnership with Resolve Health, USA.

A special thanks to our then PhD student Dr Emtiaz, Dr Zhen, Dr Nicolas, and the entire team and collaborators whose dedication and hard work have made this possible. 🙌

From a laboratory discovery to clinical studies and commercialisation, we are excited to see the “10-minute cancer test” moving closer to real-world impact!

Cancer progression is driven by epigenetic reprogramming, where promoter hypermethylation of tumour-suppressor genes and global hypomethylation reshape gene regulation and cellular phenotypes, promoting oncogenesis and disease advancement. We previously ...

29/07/2026

🎉 Exciting news from the SINA Lab! 🎉

We are delighted to share that Dr. Abu Sina, Head of the SINA Lab at UNSW Sydney, has been awarded an NHMRC Investigator Grant (Emerging Leadership Level 2), securing approximately AUD $1.6 million to advance the lab’s research program. The NHMRC Investigator Grant is one of Australia’s most prestigious and competitive research funding schemes, supporting outstanding researchers with a strong track record and a vision to deliver impactful health and medical research.

This funding will support the SINA Lab research program to discover next-generation blood-based biomarkers and develop nanotechnology-enabled platforms for the early detection of cancer. The grant will accelerate the growth of the lab, creating exciting opportunities for our students and researchers to advance innovative technologies that bring us closer to more accurate, accessible, and earlier cancer detection.

This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of everyone who has contributed to the SINA Lab over the years. We extend our sincere thanks to all current and former students, collaborators, mentors, and supporters who have helped shape our research program.

A very special congratulations and thank you to former SINA Lab PhD student Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, whose recently completed PhD research laid the scientific foundation for this newly funded project. Tanvir’s outstanding contributions have been instrumental in building the foundation of this research program, and we are excited to see his work continue to make a lasting impact.

We also thank the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for their support and look forward to translating our discoveries into technologies that improve cancer detection and ultimately benefit patients.

30/03/2026

Weekly SINA Lab Meeting!

05/01/2026

Logo of SINA lab.

18/12/2025

📄 New Publication | Sina Lab

Our latest research has been published in Nanoscale.
This study reports a nanotechnology-based SERS biosensor for multiplex detection of immune checkpoint proteins on lung cancer–derived extracellular vesicles, with potential applications in liquid biopsy and cancer diagnostics.

👉 Read the paper: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/nr/d5nr03653d

Immune checkpoint proteins (ICPs) play a critical role in tumor immune evasion and have emerged as key biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, treatment selection, and monitoring immunotherapy responses, particularly in lung cancer. Frequent assessment of ICP expression is essential for guiding therapeutic...