Our Technology – Commercial Development
The validation trial has been completed, Fermiscan plans to progress to commercialisation of the test in Australia in 2008.
Fermiscan will launch a world-first innovative test for the detection of breast cancer using hair. The test is based on analyzing the molecular structure of a person’s hair. The breakthrough technology that underpins the Fermiscan Test is the discovery by an Australian scientist that breast cancer changes the structure of hair and that this change can be detected by using a technique known as synchrotron X-ray diffraction.
The finding has been published in international peer reviewed scientific journals, including Nature and the International Journal of Cancer. The most recent report by Fermiscan's scientists appears in the January 2008 issue of the International Journal of Cancer (volume 122, pages 847-856). In addition, Fermiscan's technology is protected by a family of patents which have been granted in several countries.
This test, unlike alternatives, is non-invasive and is suitable for all women. Preliminary data indicates that it may also provide early detection of breast cancer. Early detection of breast cancer has many benefits to the individual, which range from increased survival, increased treatment options and improved quality of life.