Weber State professor developing device to detect cancer at home — and in space
OGDEN, Utah — Bharath Babu Nunna dreams of a world where early cancer detection will help save lives — before any doctor’s appointment.
For the past decade, the assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Weber State University has worked on a device to do just that.
“The objective of this research is to develop a self-evaluation tool, which is a standalone device that can help to detect cancer by the patient instantaneously,” Nunna said, noting it could also help monitor progression of the disease.
Nunna said conventional cancer diagnosis involves a patient suspecting an issue, making an appointment for a physical examination, having blood drawn, and waiting for lab results to see the levels of cancer antigens before additional testing.
“The physician would order the blood work, and it would come maybe in five days or one week; sometimes it takes a couple of weeks,” he said.
The at-home device functions similarly to a standard glucometer — a device diabetes patients use to measure the concentration of glucose in the blood. The results are integrated into a smartphone app, allowing the data to be tracked, correlated, and analyzed to generate timely alerts prompting the patient to take the next steps in cancer screening and treatment.
Nunna earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in India before coming to the U.S. to pursue his master’s in the discipline in 2005. He worked for leading private companies, including Caterpillar, for years before beginning doctoral work at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2015, where he worked with his advisor and leading expert Eon Soo Lee on early development of the device.
He continued his work as a postdoctoral fellow with Su Ryon Shin at Harvard Medical School, where he further developed his expertise in microfluidics and biosensing technologies for early disease detection.
Through hands-on research and interdisciplinary collaboration, he significantly advanced the scientific foundation of his cancer screening device for clinical applications.
As a WSU faculty member, Nunna now works with researchers from NJIT, Hackensack University Medical Center, and Weill Cornell Medical College to complete the project. With funding from the National Science Foundation, the team is in the planning stages for FDA approval and clinical trials. They plan to complete trials and receive approval in the next three years or sooner.
Nunna emphasized the broader potential of the device, such as supporting astronaut health in remote and extreme environments, noting the heightened risk of cancer and other physiological challenges during long-duration space travel.
“Space radiation, microgravity, and extended mission durations pose significant risks to human health, including cancer, immune suppression, and systemic inflammation,” Nunna said. “In such conditions, access to comprehensive medical care is limited, making a compact, point-of-care diagnostic device crucial for real-time health monitoring.”
Nunna said the project aligns with the mission of NASA’s Glenn Research Center to develop technologies that advance human-related aerospace systems and improve life on Earth. “It also supports the center’s broader vision to inspire scientific advancement, strengthen the STEM workforce pipeline, and enable safer, more sustainable space exploration for the benefit of humankind,” Nunna said.
Weber State students have also participated in the research. Mechanical engineering major Shanti Bahik said researching alongside Nunna in his lab has taught her more than textbooks ever could.
“I’ve learned how research really works — from forming a hypothesis and testing ideas to refining solutions that have real impact,” she said. “This experience has helped me grow not just as a student but as an aspiring engineer committed to making a difference.”
Bahik has supported Nunna's research focused on developing electrochemical biosensors to improve early cancer screening. After graduating, Bahik hopes to join NASA to contribute to research that improves the safety and effectiveness of space travel.
“The hands-on experience I’ve gained in Dr. Nunna’s lab — particularly in cancer detection technologies — and the potential for future collaboration with NASA through this project are helping to pave the way for that dream,” Bahik said.
Nunna said he also imagines patients in remission using the device to monitor whether or not their cancer has returned. Through lab testing, it has been able to screen for individual types of cancer. Nunna hopes further research and engineering will enable the device to screen for multiple cancers simultaneously. His team holds four patents on the technology and expects more soon.
Nunna has earned numerous national and international awards, and Weber State named Nunna the Ambrose Amos Shaw Endowed Chair in 2024 — a prestigious research award for faculty. His innovation is supported by years of research, with many of his 35 peer-reviewed publications focused on the development of the cancer detection device.
But it’s not the honors or accolades that motivate him. “The survival rates are high when the cancer is caught at the early stages,” he said. “We can save more lives.”
Jaime Winston, Marketing & Communications
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Bryan Magaña, public relations director
801-626-7948, bryanmagana@weber.edu