Two-in-One Cervical Cancer Screen

A combination screen for human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer is being developed by Ampersand Medical Corp. (Chicago, IL, USA). Unlike other HPV screening methods, says the company, the HPV probe and detection method are designed to keep cells intact. This will allow pathologists and doctors to determine cause-and-effect relationships between HPV and the presence of other diseases such as cervical cancer.

Ampersand licensed its HPV detection technology from Invirion, Inc. (Frankfort, MI, USA) and the company has delivered its initial oncogenic probe. This probe, based on a fluorescence detection platform, identifies E6/E7 genes specific to oncogenic serotypes, providing results in about one hour. Ampersand is combining this test with its InPath System, a bio-molecular-based technology for cervical cancer screening. The company believes its combined point-of-care cancer-screening method is more sensitive and specific than existing methods.

Through this development, physicians and patients would have a much quicker ability to detect the presence of HPV, said Bruce Patterson, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.