Betel nut is a substance chewed by 10% of the global population and is known to cause mouth cancer, playing an especially significant role in South and South-East Asian countries as well as in migrant groups in the UK and the US. The BICRAA application was previously developed as an innovative data collection tool, which we used to obtain data in the Maharashtra and Delhi regions in India, which showed us that there is a high incidence of betel nut use and a general lack of awareness regarding its carcinogenic potential. As such, we have developed the Beat Betel campaign, which is a two-fold initiative with the ultimate goal of improving public health awareness and decreasing mouth cancer rates, globally. 

Firstly, we are planning a large-scale cross-sectional survey with the aim of understanding betel nut awareness on a global scale, results of which will inform governmental and non-governmental organizations in order to bring this prominent issue into the fore and develop strategies to mitigate its use. The second component of our work is to develop an early detection molecular test. Mouth cancer mortality rates are largely a consequence of late presentation, where most tumours are diagnosed too late due to a lack of screening strategies. We have already conducted molecular studies on a cohort of betel nut-associated oral cancers and have identified potential diagnostic markers and are developing methods of detecting these in saliva and blood. This will greatly aid a more rapid diagnosis of this malignancy and have a direct impact on morbidity and mortality.