Hair's here for breast cancer
Monday, 12 May, 2008
Sydney biotech Fermiscan has completed a 2000-patient validation trial of its human hair test for breast cancer.
The trial, to compare results from current breast cancer screening methods like mammography and ultrasound - along with subsequent biopsy and pathology results - found that the Fermiscan test achieved 69 per cent accuracy.
The success rate went up to 75 per cent once samples from patients who had chemically treated their hair were excluded.
The test uses x-ray diffraction from synchrotron light to detect an unusual ring shape in the diffraction pattern of hair when a woman has breast cancer.
In a statement, Fermiscan said it will continue progress towards commercialising the test, which it hopes to market through women's health clinics.
For more on Fermiscan, see the May/June issue of ALS.
Organoid platform enables closer study of bat-borne viruses
Reconstructing bat organ physiology in the lab lets scientists explore how zoonotic viruses work...
Global study finds 250 genes linked to OCD
Researchers say they have found the genes linked to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), after...
TGA approves therapy for paediatric growth hormone deficiency
The TGA has approved SKYTROFA as a treatment for growth failure in children and adolescents aged...
