Zilico's Approach to Cancer Screening
Zilico’s focus has been in developing a device that reduces the inherent subjectivity and anxiety from the current diagnostic process of cervical cancer, both screening and referral.
Zilico uses the technique of Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) to examine tissue structure and so identify changes that are associated with progression to cancer.
EIS is a well-established technique in the public domain but has been refined and developed by Zilico to improve its performance, specifically for application to cervical cancer. It is expected that these developments will also be applicable to other cancers associated with cavus sites in the body (anal, vaginal, oral etc).
The technology, developed by the University of Sheffield, allows clinicians to differentiate between normal, pre-cancerous and cancerous cells. Two applications of this technology are currently in development. The first is aimed at improving diagnosis in the colposcopy clinic, and the second targets the cervical screening process.
Clinicians using these devices will be able to offer patients results immediately, removing anxious waiting periods for women. The technology used also removes the subjectivity from the process, which will reduce the number of women referred to colposcopy clinics, and potentially avoid the need for diagnostic biopsies.