Early stage oral cancer test launched
A non-invasive test for oral and throat cancer that can be administered in the dental practice has been launched by a US life sciences company.
Oral Health Pro with CancerDetect is a “groundbreaking test is set to revolutionise the industry’s approach to oral care by providing dental professionals with an unprecedented level of actionable insight into their patients’ health,” said Viome Life Sciences in a statement.
“This test sets itself apart with the early detection of biomarkers associated with oral and throat cancer, achieving a specificity of 95 per cent and sensitivity of 90 per cent, building on the clinical validation data just published in the journal, Oral Oncology. This makes it the most advanced oral and throat cancer screening test available today.”
The test is ushering in a new era of preventative care that benefits patients and dental professionals
Ed Zuckerberg DDS FAGD, Viome’s Chief Dental Officer, said: “Viome’s holistic and scientific approach to health will transform how people approach oral hygiene and care. The Oral Health Pro test is ushering in a new era of preventative care that benefits patients and dental professionals.
“The current standard of oral care is extremely outdated, relying heavily on visual and tactile examinations. Viome is setting a new standard that uncovers the intricate interplay between microbial activities and human gene expression in the development of oral diseases and cancers.”
Utilising Viome’s proprietary RNA sequencing technology and AI, the test measures gene expression of the oral microbiome and human cells in each patient’s saliva to identify early biomarkers associated with oral and throat cancer.
The company said it will also change the way dental professionals and individuals approach oral health, highlighting the link between the health of the mouth and the overall well-being of the body. It said Oral Health Pro can detect a broad range of biomarkers associated with symptoms like poor gum health, cavities, bad breath, pathobiont activity, fungal activity, and genotoxic activity, many of which are associated with systemic health risks.
“Viome’s unique technology can see a lot deeper than other tests since we detect the gene expression activity of a wide range of microbial as well as human cells,” said Guru Banavar Ph.D., Viome’s Chief Technology Officer.
“We further quantify the molecular pathways associated with oral health issues by applying machine learning on a very large dataset, trillions of nucleotides derived from tens of thousands of saliva samples. These analyses are translated into a simple report that helps dental professionals and patients understand their oral and systemic health risks.”
As described in Viome’s paper in Oral Oncology, the biomarker for oral and throat cancer consists of both microbial and human transcripts. The clinical validation showed a high sensitivity and specificity for both early-stage and late-stage malignancies, across both oral and throat cancers.
The clinical study, which involved 1,175 individuals, was a collaboration with leading salivary researcher Professor Chamindie Punyadeera, of Griffith University, Dr. Salomon Amar, of New York Medical College, and several others across multiple clinical centres. “This test represents a novel use of saliva for assays aimed at the improvement in test characteristics of oral cancer screening tools, along with being user-friendly,” said Dr. Amar.
For more information visit: http://viomepro.com.
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