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Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal women’s cancers because it’s often diagnosed too late and there’s still no routine screening test like a mammogram or Pap smear.

In this episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, host Lucy Lin sits down with Associate Professor Michelle Hill, a biochemist, scientist‑entrepreneur, and founder/CEO of Proseek Bio, to unpack one of the most shocking realities in women’s health: right now, the only way to definitively diagnose ovarian cancer is to surgically remove the ovary and send it to pathology. That means many women undergo major surgery, sometimes losing an ovary, just to find out whether a mass was cancerous or completely benign.

In this conversation, we cover:

• What ovarian cancer is and why it’s called a “silent killer”
• Key ovarian cancer symptoms to watch for (bloating, pelvic pain, feeling full quickly, frequent urination, fatigue)
• Why today, definitive diagnosis often still requires surgery
• How Michelle’s company Proseek Bio is developing multi‑biomarker blood tests to help decide: “Do I really need this surgery?”
• The bigger picture of women’s health, medical gaslighting, and Michelle’s journey from scientist to health‑tech entrepreneur

With special thanks to the CSIRO ON Innovation Program for sponsoring this important episode! 🙏

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Chapters

00:00 Ovarian Cancer Wake-up Call

01:03 Meet Associate Professor Michelle Hill

04:04 Cake Lab

05:08 Why Diagnosis Needs Surgery

08:20 Silent Killer Explained

09:17 Why Detection Is Hard

12:07 Early Detection Saves Lives

17:03 Women Left Out Of Medical Research

20:09 Medical Gaslighting Reality

22:12 Symptoms You Can't Pin Down

34:29 Proseek Bio Origin Story

36:42 How The Blood Test Works

39:22 From Academia To Founder

42:54 Raising Capital Lessons

48:32 Future Skills For Scientists and Founders

53:22 Femtech And Women's Health

55:48 Practical Health Actions

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