San Jose, CA, USA. May 21, 2019 – QuanDx is the designated U.S. distributor of a PCR-based assay from Zeesan Biotech designed to detect and identify the 14 high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV). The MeltPro High-Risk HPV Genotyping Assay is a single-tube, multiplex real-time PCR-based test followed by high-resolution multi-color melting curve analysis. The ready-to-use lyophilized reagent is easy to ship and store; no dry ice is required.

Persistent infection with high-risk HPV types can lead to cervical cancer; screening is recommended for prevention and early intervention. Researchers from Dartmouth’s Norris Cotton Cancer Center have begun an inexpensive screening protocol for HPV in Honduras, a country that currently has inadequate screening for cervical cancer due to a lack of resources to perform cytopathology assessment of Pap smears. The team led by Gregory Tsongalis, Ph.D., developed and validated a procedure using QuanDx’s MeltPro High-Risk HPV Assay for DNA testing using crude cell lysates. The easy-to-perform dry reagent assay was successfully implemented into a mobile system using inexpensive, local equipment, demonstrating the feasibility for women in various regions to be tested, with rapid genotype-specific results.

One unexpected discovery from the study is that the prevalent high-risk HPV types found in Honduras are different from the traditional HPV 16/18 types that are vaccinated against in U.S. vaccine programs. This could have significant implications when developing therapeutic vaccine trials in various regions.

Their findings, “Screening for Human Papillomavirus in a Low- and Middle-Income Country” are published in ASCO’s Journal of Global Oncology. https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JGO.18.00233

The MeltPro High-Risk HPV Genotyping Assay is CE-Marked for IVD sale in Europe, FDA cleared in China and RUO elsewhere. For further information on this assay and its availability please contact Heather Kiefer, Ph.D. at hkiefer@quandx.com