‘I’ve invented an alternative to uncomfortable smear tests’

When Sangiana Foia had her first cervical cancer screening at age 25, she was surprised by how uncomfortable the whole experience was.

The graduate student thought there must be a better way to screen women for signs of cervical cancer.

“I had my first cervical cancer screening about three years ago and it was a very unpleasant experience,” Sangiana said. “As I spoke to other women I realised that this unpleasant experience was actually shared by everyone.”

“I already had a PhD in bioengineering and had developed biosensors, so I thought maybe there was a way to do it that was non-invasive and gave women control.

“There hasn’t been any innovation in decades, so it seemed like a good place to start.”

Her research has resulted in a new system called Papcup, a small device that allows women to test themselves at home using a sample of menstrual blood.

The device looks for signs of cancer-causing strains of HPV, just like a traditional smear test, but there’s no need to visit a doctor or wait for results.

Ms Sangiana told BBC Scotland News: “It’s a small device, about the size of my fist, and you inject a sample of your menstrual blood, taken with a swab, into it.”

“The device has a built-in detection unit, a biosensor, which reads the amount of HPV in the sample and outputs the results in about 15 minutes.”

“This device aims to provide virtually instant testing, as other methods take days or weeks to produce results.”

Papcup has completed the feasibility stage and is currently in prototype development, which will undergo further refinement and clinical trials.

“We developed the mechanical design and electronics for the biosensor and also provided a proof of concept,” Sangiana said.

“The challenge now is to put it all together, prove it, raise investment so we can improve the biosensor, go through clinical trials and ultimately get this into a product that can reach women.”

Sangiana, originally from Romania, is completing her PhD at Imperial College London, where her idea was initially developed through the school’s Advanced Hackspace mentoring system.

But she is now receiving support from the University of Edinburgh’s Venture Builder Incubator, a programme that aims to take innovations from idea to reality.

Andrew Parfery is Program Manager at VBI.

“The gap we are trying to fill is to support researchers, PhD students and academic staff to turn their ideas and innovations into businesses and take them to the market so they can have a real impact,” he said.

“We’re here for people across UK universities, particularly those working in innovation in health and social care, so we’re currently accepting applications from people with technology-led solutions in particular.”

Low vaccination rates in certain areas mean many people miss out on detecting cancer-causing HPV strains, and early diagnosis could save lives, according to Cancer Research Horizons, the charity’s commercial arm.

Cidgem Selli is a CRH employee who has been involved in Sânziana’s projects.

She said: “We know that one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives.”

“Many lives could be saved if we could detect cancer earlier using new medical techniques and inventions that are brought from the laboratory to the clinic.”

Smear test uptake is also low among young women, something Sangiana hopes her device will change.

“Once women turn 25 and have their first cervical cancer screening, many of them delay, postpone or skip their next appointment altogether, or live in uncertainty for several months until it is.

“But they can use the new tests in their own private, safe space. They don’t have to interact with total strangers who are in such a vulnerable position. They take back the power to get tested on their own terms.”

The test can also be taken by postmenopausal women or those who do not menstruate.

She said: “You can still test using a traditional swab in a Pap cup, which has the advantage that you can take the swab yourself and get the results immediately, so you don’t have to send it off to a lab and then anxiously wait weeks for the results.”

Routine smear tests look for cancer-causing strains of HPV and if found, further testing is carried out.

Pap Cup also detects harmful strains of HPV.

Sangiana said: “If you have a positive HPV test, you may want to have a full smear test to find out more about what’s going on for a full diagnosis, but we’re aiming to break down the first barrier women face in getting a smear test.”

“This is about addressing the health care disparities and inequities that prevent women from getting tested. We hope to provide a more comfortable testing experience for women.”