Researcher advocates data-driven diagnostics to improve cancer detection

A molecular diagnostics and cancer research expert, Rukayat Olayemi Oni, has called for stronger integration of molecular testing, clinical data, and advanced diagnostic technologies to improve cancer detection, disease monitoring, and patient outcomes.

Oni, an ASCP-certified technologist in Molecular Biology, said advances in molecular diagnostics are creating opportunities for healthcare professionals to detect cancer-associated signals earlier.

Aside from detecting cancer signals earlier, she said molecular diagnostics are helping to monitor disease progression more precisely and generate information that can support oncology decision-making.

According to her, the growing volume and complexity of molecular information in oncology means that generating accurate laboratory data is only one part of the diagnostic process.

“Cancer diagnostics is increasingly becoming data-intensive. The value of molecular testing is not simply in generating results, but in ensuring that those results are accurate, reliable, and capable of providing meaningful information about what is happening at the molecular level,” Oni said.

The researcher’s professional experience spans high-complexity molecular diagnostics, biomarker testing, cancer research, laboratory quality systems, and diagnostic workflow improvement.

Oni currently works as a Medical Laboratory Scientist II in Natera’s Signatera unit in the United States, where she performs advanced molecular diagnostic testing that supports personalised circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis for cancer monitoring.

Her work includes DNA extraction, purification, amplification, molecular analysis, quality control, and evaluation of assay and instrument outputs in a high-throughput clinical laboratory environment.

Speaking further, she said technologies that can identify patient-specific cancer-associated molecular signals show how molecular diagnostics can contribute to a more individualized understanding of cancer.

“Every patient’s disease has molecular characteristics that can provide important information. When we can identify and monitor those signals accurately, we strengthen the information available for understanding disease status and supporting oncology care,” she said.

Before joining Natera, Oni worked at Exact Sciences in Multi-Cancer Early Detection, where she performed advanced biomarker assays using plasma-derived samples and worked with methylation-sensitive PCR and high-throughput proteomic testing.

Her responsibilities also included assay and workflow validation, quality control, and collaboration with scientists, bioinformaticians, and regulatory professionals.

Her experience at Exact Sciences also included work connected with the analytical and clinical validation of Cancerguard™, as well as the Falcon Real-World Evidence registry involving more than 25,000 participants undergoing annual multi-cancer early detection testing.

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Oni said experiences across different cancer-testing environments have reinforced her view that the future of oncology will increasingly depend on the ability to combine molecular biology with reliable analytical systems and high-quality clinical data.

“Molecular diagnostics gives us the ability to examine cancer at a level that conventional observation alone cannot provide. But the technology must be supported by rigorous quality systems, reproducible workflows, and careful interpretation of the information being generated,” she said.

Oni believes these developments illustrate a broader shift in cancer diagnostics from relying primarily on conventional detection methods toward increasingly sophisticated molecular and biomarker-based approaches.

She further stressed that innovation in oncology diagnostics must be accompanied by strong laboratory quality and regulatory standards.

“Precision is critical in molecular diagnostics because the information we generate ultimately has implications for patient care. Innovation has to go together with quality, reproducibility, and responsible laboratory practice,” Oni said.

Beyond performing molecular testing, Oni has contributed to workflow improvement and laboratory capacity building.

She believes the continued convergence of molecular biology, biomarker science, laboratory automation, and data analysis will play an increasingly important role in the evolution of cancer detection and monitoring.

Her professional background has involved extensive work in colorectal cancer screening, where she performed molecular testing for colorectal neoplasia-associated DNA markers and hemoglobin.