Low-cost integrated nucleic acid amplification testing platform for cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT An estimated 90% of cervical cancer related deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of disease is highest and there is limited access to effective screening and diagnosis [1]. In July 2021, the World Health Organization updated their recommended approach for cervical cancer screening

to focus on human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing. However, it remains difficult for many women to access HPV DNA testing due to the necessary costs, high level of infrastructure, and requirement for trained personnel. Compared to expensive commercial platforms, a variety of promising point-of-care (POC) strategies

have proposed isothermal amplification of DNA as an affordable avenue for testing [2]–[6]; however, there are important gaps to fully incorporate integrated sample-to-answer platforms that eliminate the risk of workspace contamination and subsequent false positive results. The objective of this project is to develop a low-cost

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