Volition Has Released A Screening Test To Help Detect Early Stages Of Cancer In Dogs

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

Given the growing population, it is expected that the number of cancer diagnoses will continue to increase. Currently, cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide.

Science researchers have developed screening tests to help detect cancer early on, which according to the American Cancer Society, is when certain cancers are most curable.

VolitionRX Ltd VNRX is working to revolutionize the way cancer and other diseases are diagnosed. They are accomplishing this through the development of diagnostic tests that can detect cancer in its early stages.

Volition’s trademarked technology Nu.Q® will be used for cancer diagnostics in both humans and animals. 

On November 30, 2020, the company launched the Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Screening Test. The test, which is made available from the GI Lab at Texas A&M University, will be used to help detect early stages of cancer in dogs. 

In a study of over 330 dogs, the Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Screening Test identified 74% of lymphomas and 89% of hemangiosarcoma, which are common cancers representative of about a third of the cancers that are seen in dogs.

How Nu.Q® Works

Typically, most screening tests for cancer are both expensive and invasive. But with the Nu.Q® technology, Volition aims to make the screening process simple and accessible.

Administered as a blood test, Nu.Q® assays quantify nucleosomes from different origins (i.e. cancerous vs. healthy nucleosomes). Due to epigenetic changes, the chromosomes of cancer cells differ from those of healthy cells both in terms of DNA sequence and protein structure. 

Nucleosomes, which are essentially balls of protein that occur along the string of DNA, are released into the bloodstream after a cell dies. And with cancer, there are a lot of cell deaths, much more than normal tissue.

Volition’s nucleosome technology is able to detect and identify cancer diseases by looking at the different compositions of nucleosome structures found in the blood of cancer patients.

Further Research

Volition has plans to develop Nu.Q® products across a range of different cancers as well as develop frontline screening tests for the most common diseases and tests to help identify high-risk subjects.

The company has also made progress in its research efforts for the use of its Nu.Q® technology in NETosis and in monitoring the disease progression of COVID-19.

Volition aims to develop a clinically useful product to help fight against COVID-19 and other diseases such as influenza and sepsis.

To learn more about Volition and their research, click here.

Image courtesy of Volition

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.