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A Screening Kit to Detect Cervical Cancer

A Screening Kit to Detect Cervical Cancer
According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women. (Credit: Dreamstime)

Developed by Algimed Techn, the NOVAprep screening kit uses microRNA technology in a unique design to easily detect cervical cancer. According to its creators, it is highly efficient and cost-effective.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women. In 2020, around 604,000 patients were diagnosed with this disease worldwide, with about 342,000 dying from it. Smear testing is crucial in avoiding these deaths, as when detected, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer.

MicroRNA Technology

The NOVAprep reagent kit can distinguish between conditions ranging from mild dysplasia (LSIL) to severe dysplasia (HSIL) of the cervical epithelium—including precancerous conditions of the cervix. It is particularly useful in situations where cytological examination alone cannot confidently identify borderline pathological conditions. 

The kit works by analyzing the concentration of six critical, small regulatory RNA molecules (microRNA) in cervical epithelial smear samples.

Firstly, it employs magnetic adsorption to perform the sequential isolation of this microRNA. Then, a process of reverse transcription (RT) reactions in order to synthesize complementary DNA (cDNA) from the microRNA molecules. Finally, it uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify these specific cDNAs. The results can then be interpreted through the software included in the kit.

A Unique Design

The unique design of NOVAprep includes a collection mesh with a coarse surface that removes the extracted cells from the brush used to obtain the sample from the patients’ cervix. To further optimize the release of cells from the brush, the vial is designed to facilitate the removal of its head, making 100% of the material collected available for analysis.

Also, after the insertion of the brush head, the vial is completely isolated from external micro-particles thanks to a self-sealing cap. Then, when it is time to extract the sample material, this cap is pierced by a needle rather than opened—reducing contamination risks. 

Meanwhile, a unique preservative solution keeps the morphology of the cells intact through passive cell filtration, concentration and dilution procedure—as opposed to other methods of sample preparation requiring centrifugation and forced filtration. All cells (healthy or abnormal) settle at the bottom of the vial by sedimentation, making it easy to isolate and place them in the processor system.

Greater Efficiency and Cost-Effective

 As the kit enables simplified processes, greater efficiency and minimal amounts of consumables, costs are reduced. Diagnosis through the use of NOVAprep can be combined with traditional diagnostic methods, such as standard/liquid cytology and HPV tests. The kit has a 95% clinical sensitivity, a 92% clinical specificity, a 95% analytical sensitivity and a 100% analytical specificity.

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