Fremont, California [October 22, 2014] – Arbor Vita Corporation, a privately held company, presented its groundbreaking OncoE6TM Cervical Test, a new point-of-care proteomic-based diagnostic, to participants at the Seventh Scientific Conference of the French Association for the Study of Papillomavirus and Polyomavirus Infections (AFIPP) held in Sete, France.
Cervical cancer remains one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths in women. All such cancers originate from Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. However, the presence of HPV is not sufficient for disease; most women clear the virus without treatment. In those who do not, the virus may eventually express elevated levels of E6 oncoprotein in cervical epithelial cells. OncoE6TM Cervical Test detects this E6 biomarker, which is responsible for the cancer-causing effects of HPV.
Current cervical cancer screening technologies, such as Pap smears and HPV (DNA) tests, detect cell changes and/or the presence of HPV, thus identifying a broad population of women of whom only a small subset are actually at risk for cancer. These technologies are not only expensive and time-consuming, the results may subject women to unnecessary procedures that can compromise fertility.
By contrast, a positive OncoE6TM Cervical Test result not only identifies high grade cervical disease, it predicts future risk of disease, while a negative OncoE6TM Cervical Test result may predict future regression. With its dipstick-like format, the powerful proteomics-based test is simple, non-invasive, easy, and quick to use. No refrigeration is required, and it can be conducted with only minimal training. Results are available in a few hours.
PATH, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Phil Castle recently published results from their collaborative international clinical study, START-UP, demonstrating that the OncoE6TM Cervical Test is significantly more specific and has a much higher positive predictive value in detecting cervical neoplasia than current technologies. This is of particular importance to women living in the developing world who are disproportionately affected by cervical cancer but where screening programs rarely exist. Scarce resources may be effectively utilized, identifying those women in need of treatment follow-up as opposed to those who simply have a transient – and thus clinically irrelevant – HPV infection.
Arbor Vita expects that the OncoE6TM Cervical Test will be a valuable addition to an existing portfolio of cervical cancer management tools. The OncoE6TM Cervical Test, which carries the European Union CE Marking of quality, is now available in many parts of the world. The OncoE6TM Oral Test is available for research purposes. For more information, please contact: info@arborvita.com
About Arbor Vita Corporation
Founded in 1998, Arbor Vita Corporation is a privately held biotechnology company located in Fremont, California, focusing on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel proteomic-based diagnostics and therapeutics. The company’s proprietary PDZ protein technology continues to produce groundbreaking solutions to complex health challenges, including infectious diseases and cancer.