TY - THES A1 - Hammoudeh, Basil Mazen T1 - The use of biocatalysis in the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) N2 - Colorectal cancer is a significant global health burden. Early-stage colorectal cancer is asymptomatic, which, coupled with the fact that later stages of CRC have a very low prognosis, and that current methods of diagnosis and treatment significantly impact the patient, exploring alternate ways to diagnose and treat CRC is vital. Biocatalysis is the use of naturally found catalysts such as nanozymes and enzymes in order to catalyze reactions. Due to their characteristics and uses, biocatalysts are seen as promising alternatives to current methods of CRC diagnosis and therapy. This research-based bachelor thesis aims to summarize and analyze current traditional and biocatalytic methods that exist to diagnose and treat CRC, in order to seek the potential of biocatalysis in this field, as well as discuss its current state and its future in comparison to currently implemented methods. It provides an extensive overview of traditional and biocatalytic approaches to diagnosis and therapy, considering important factors such as efficacy, sensitivity, selectivity, cost, and safety. The thesis also delves into the use of biocatalysis for important points such as the early diagnosis of CRC, and the challenges faced during development, regulation, and monetary concerns. Through careful analysis of the strengths and limitations of techniques in the field, as well as personal opinions on the future of research, conclusions on given hypotheses regarding biocatalysis in CRC diagnosis and therapies were presented and included strong support for the unquestionable potential of biocatalysis use in cancer healthcare, while highlighting possibilities to tap into that potential by scrutinizing their equally as unquestionable current limitations. Overall, this thesis aspires to contribute, on however minuscule a scale, towards the advancement of CRC diagnosis and therapy approaches, with the ambition of improving patient care and prognosis, as well as quality of life for those struggling or who will struggle in the future with the disease, together with their kin who are profoundly affected as well. KW - Colorectal cancer KW - Cancer KW - Biocatalysis KW - Enzymes KW - Diagnosis KW - Therapy Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-18147 ER -