Jeff J. H. Kim | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Interfacial Potential Transduction for Diagnostics

A major barrier to decentralized, near-patient diagnostics is the lack of a signal transduction modality that is both analytically precise and accessible at the point of care. Optical readouts remain instrument-dependent and difficult to miniaturize, while compact electrochemical readouts are prone to matrix-derived signal distortion, limiting their biomarker coverage in real clinical settings. Here, we define interfacial potential transduction as a standardized electrical modality for portable, clinical-grade diagnostics across diverse assay formats. A mechanistic framework identifying key sample matrix parameters within the interfacial potentials transduction system enables control of biofluid-derived interference, and is demonstrated in a widely accessible lateral flow immunoassay format through quantitative detection of estradiol, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone in human plasma with high correlation (r2 > 0.97) to clinical analyzers. Broader applicability across representative diagnostic sectors is further demonstrated through exceptional performance including glucose quantification for biochemical analysis with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.92 ug/dL, HIV p24 capsid protein under an immunomagnetic separation workflow (LOD = 44.8 fg/mL), and hepatitis B virus detection within 5 min via loop-mediated isothermal amplification for molecular diagnostics. Together, these results establish interfacial potentials transduction as a unified diagnostic paradigm for near-patient deployment beyond optical and electrochemical approaches.

q-bio.BM↗

arXiv2025

Prediction of Lung Metastasis from Hepatocellular Carcinoma using the SEER Database

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with lung metastases being the most common site of distant spread and significantly worsening prognosis. Despite the growing availability of clinical and demographic data, predictive models for lung metastasis in HCC remain limited in scope and clinical applicability. In this study, we develop and validate an end-to-end machine learning pipeline using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We evaluated three machine learning models (Random Forest, XGBoost, and Logistic Regression) alongside a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. Our models achieved high AUROC values and recall, with the Random Forest and MLP models demonstrating the best overall performance (AUROC = 0.82). However, the low precision across models highlights the challenges of accurately predicting positive cases. To address these limitations, we developed a custom loss function incorporating recall optimization, enabling the MLP model to achieve the highest sensitivity. An ensemble approach further improved overall recall by leveraging the strengths of individual models. Feature importance analysis revealed key predictors such as surgery status, tumor staging, and follow up duration, emphasizing the relevance of clinical interventions and disease progression in metastasis prediction. While this study demonstrates the potential of machine learning for identifying high-risk patients, limitations include reliance on imbalanced datasets, incomplete feature annotations, and the low precision of predictions. Future work should leverage the expanding SEER dataset, improve data imputation techniques, and explore advanced pre-trained models to enhance predictive accuracy and clinical utility.

q-bio.TO↗