by Wang Kai

TIANJIN, May 13 (China Economic Net) - Muhammad Majid, born into a humble family in Fatomand in Gujranwala, found his life calling during his Ph.D. journey at Tianjin University, China.

In a recent breakthrough, his review article titled “Aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors for breast cancer biomarkers: Developments, challenges, and future directions” was published in Analytical Chemistry, one of the world’s leading journals in the field.

“Saving a life does not begin in an operating room; it begins in a laboratory, with a sensor small enough to detect what the human eye cannot see,” he told China Economic Net in an interview. “Field-effect transistor (FET)-based sensors aim at early cancer detection by identifying biomarkers at very early stages,” he told China Economic Net reporter in an interview.

In simple words, biomarkers are small biological signals the body releases when something is wrong. “If we can detect them early, we can detect cancer early. And early detection changes everything. When cancer is identified at an early stage, treatment success rates increase significantly. Patients can avoid much of the physical and emotional suffering that comes with late-stage therapies. So in many ways, my research is not just about detection, it is about reducing pain,” he further explained.

Before coming to China on a Chinese Government Scholarship, he completed his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and later ranked among the top five students in master’s program.

He also highlighted the empowering role of academic exchange in China. “Academic conferences are regularly organized where researchers present their latest work. They pushed me to think more critically, observe how others structure their research questions, and understand new methodologies and problem-solving approaches,” he said.

“After completing my Ph.D. at Tianjin University, I plan to continue my research in China,” he said. “My next goal is to pursue postdoctoral research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. That environment represents the highest level of scientific rigor and innovation, and I want to refine myself there both technically and intellectually. After that, I aim to join a research institute in China and establish my own laboratory. But not just any laboratory—a multidisciplinary research lab, where one focus is early cancer detection through advanced sensor technologies, and the other is developing treatment strategies. While working in China, I also intend to collaborate closely with research institutes in Pakistan. Together, we can build laboratories that prepare young scientific minds for future biological challenges.”