MARCH 6, 2023

The Empowered Patient podcast host Karen Jagoda recently interviewed bioAffinity Technologies President and CEO Maria Zannes about the development of the CyPath^® Lung test for the detection of early-stage lung cancer. Hear the podcast at http://bit.ly/3EPorum.

“Having a test for early detection of lung cancer where the treatment can be so much more effective and people can live so much longer and healthier lives is compelling,” Ms. Zannes said. “It’s very important for individuals who are at high risk to be screened for lung cancer. . . There are an estimated 16 to 18 million people who are in that category, and they should be going every year to get a screen.”

Ms. Zannes also previewed the work currently ongoing in the Company’s lab at the University of Texas San Antonio, including expanding the assay to assess other lung diseases, including asthma and COPD, and other cancers.  “We are very much science driven.” But at the same time, she emphasized the patient-friendly, noninvasive nature of the CyPath^® test, which uses sputum collected at home over a three-day period. Once the sample is overnighted to the lab, the patient’s doctor has the results based on the analysis of 20 million cells from the lung within three days.

CyPath^® Lung uses automated flow cytometry and AI-developed machine learning to analyze patient samples by identifying parameters in sputum that are indicative of cancer. In a recent clinical trial, CyPath^® Lung showed 92% sensitivity and 87% specificity in high-risk patients who had nodules smaller than 20 millimeters or no nodules in the lung, with an area under the ROC curve of 94%.