SensiGen Licenses Ultra-Sensitive Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Test

SensiGen LLC, (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) a biotechnology company focused on developing proprietary gene-based molecular diagnostics, announced that it has exercised its option to exclusively license an ultra-sensitive human papillomavirus (HPV) detection test developed at the University of Michigan Medical School (Ann Arbor, MI, USA).

The technology, called the AttoSense HPV Test, was developed in the laboratory of David Kurnit, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan Medical Center. "With this technology we have demonstrated the ability not only to detect as little one to three copies of HPV DNA in any blood or tissue sample, but also to clearly identify in a single assay each of the 15 unique genotypes of HPV that cause cervical cancer in women,” said Dr. Kurnit. "Clinically, our research has shown that this assay can virtually eliminate errors, in terms of false-negative or false-positive results, commonly associated with current testing methods.”

HPV is implicated in 99.7% of all cases of cervical cancer. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women with estimated 500,000 new cases diagnosed and 280,000 deaths annually. In the United States, 55 million women are screened each year for the presence of cervical cancer or its precursor lesions using the Pap smear and other methods.

Despite these efforts, nearly 4,000 women die of cervical cancer in the United Sates each year. Recently introduced vaccines for HPV are important new tools for prevention of future cervical cancers, but they can only offer protection against two out of the 15 high risk sub-types of HPV, and the full duration of their protective effect is unknown. Research indicates that elimination of errors in early detection of HPV could save more than 1,200 lives per year in the United States alone.

"We are delighted at the prospect of expanding our relationship with SensiGen,” said Ken Nisbet, executive director of the University of Michigan office of technology transfer. "SensiGen has an experienced management team and a solid plan for moving the technology to market, and we are eager to support their efforts to commercialize Dr. Kurnit's work, and improve patient care.”

SensiGen is a development stage biotechnology company focused on gene-based molecular diagnostics. The company's mission is to develop advanced technologies to enable early detection of diseases, thereby improving the standard of care and reducing overall health costs. Current products in development include advanced tests for early detection of HPV, chronic kidney disease (CKD), Crohn's disease, and others. SensiGen's molecular diagnostic assays offer improvements over current methods, and can potentially provide significant value to patients, care givers, and insurers alike.


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