Numedico, NY med school collaborate for ovarian cancer

Numedico Technologies, a South Australia-based medical device company, and New York City-based Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have partnered to design, develop and commercialise a device for the screening and early detection of endometrial and ovarian cancers.

Successful development of this technology is said to change the way this disease is diagnosed moving forward. The project collaboration will use Mount Sinai intellectual property (IP) together with Numedico’s medical device development and commercialisation expertise to bring an affordable integrated device to the market for global distribution.

In Australia in 2018 it is estimated that approximately 5000 women will be diagnosed with one of these two cancers and nearly 1500 will die this year. Through the agreement, Numedico acquires all of the Mount Sinai IP and the global rights for the manufacture and distribution of the device.

The current gold standard for diagnosing endometrial cancer requires evaluation under general anaesthesia in the operating room by a surgeon, according to Numedico. Currently there are no clinically proven screening tests or in-patient procedures that can be used in place of operating room-based hysteroscopy, said the company in a statement. There are currently no recommended screening tests for ovarian cancer.

A spokesman for the project said, “At a time when endometrial cancer is on the increase and ovarian cancer remains one of the most lethal female cancers, we need to develop a device for early detection, as early detection leads to higher survival rates. There are no currently available screening tests for these cancers and the diagnostic options for endometrial and ovarian cancers are inherently uncomfortable, quite often require the patient to undergo general anaesthetic, are expensive and best performed in centres of excellence (operating room). The aim of the project is to deliver a device that is safe, affordable and available globally.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Numedico to bring this technology to the global patient population, and to develop technologies and standards for screening for these two prevalent and potentially lethal cancers of women,” said Erik Lium, Senior Vice President of Mount Sinai Innovation Partners.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Sergey Nivens