USU PR – Prostate cancer ranks sixth as a cause of death in Indonesia, accounting for 7.4% of cases. Inspired by this, a team from Universitas Sumatera Utara's Student Creativity Program (PKM) participating in PIMNAS presented their work titled “Utilization of Carbon Nanofiber Film Chemo-Sensors from Torch Ginger Stems (Etlingera elatior) as a Sensitive Material for Prostate Cancer Diagnostics.”

The PKM team consists of students from various disciplines: Wardhani Septina Sembiring and Ilham Prayogo from Chemistry, Dhea Alviolita Warman from Agribusiness, Muhammad Nuh Alhudawy from Medical Education, and Yoga Pratama from Physics. They combined their expertise to develop this project.

By utilizing local natural resources in North Sumatra, the team, led by Wardhani, used torch ginger stems to create the material for their cancer diagnostic sensor.

In an interview with USU Public Relations on Friday (29/10/2021), Wardhani explained that torch ginger stems contain 48.48% cellulose, making them suitable for thin-film production.

"Torch ginger stems are a local potential in North Sumatra that have yet to be fully utilized, especially as material for sensor manufacturing. Their properties make them promising for chemo-sensor applications," explained the student from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA).

According to Wardhani, existing prostate cancer detection tools have several drawbacks, including high costs, complex and painful procedures, and long processing times. "Our sensor is urine-based, so it doesn't harm patients during the detection process," said Wardhani.

Wardhani also highlighted the advantages of their thin-film chemo-sensor innovation, which is user-friendly, highly sensitive, made from easily accessible organic materials, and cost-effective.

As an additional output, Wardhani and her team have submitted their work to a journal and plan to continue research for comparative studies. The product will also be patented.

"During the presentation, we gained valuable insights from the judges. Their unexpected questions provided meaningful feedback for the development of our product," she said.

The research process involved several stages, with tasks divided according to each team member’s discipline.

"For tool development, material preparation from torch ginger, and sensor testing with urine, we assigned roles based on our respective expertise and capacities," she explained.

Wardhani expressed her pride in USU hosting the 34th PIMNAS and thanked the university for guiding her team. She hopes to bring glory to USU by winning a medal.

To her fellow USU students, Wardhani encouraged continuous innovation and idea development to foster a research-oriented culture at the university. "We want to share knowledge with fellow students so that this inspiration can be passed down to future generations," she concluded.

Author: Irsan Mulyadi – USU Public Relations
Interviewee: Wardhani Septina Sembiring – PIMNAS 34 USU Participant
Photographer: Research Team – Research Team