Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Early detection is crucial for effective treatment and improved survival rates. In a groundbreaking move, Namida, a tear-based cancer screening company, has recently launched Auria, a revolutionary test that utilizes proteomics, or protein biomarkers, to detect breast abnormalities that may indicate the presence of breast cancer. This cutting-edge technology has the potential to transform breast cancer screening and improve outcomes for countless women.
“This is not genetic testing,” says Omid Moghadam, CEO and co-founder of Namida. “Many women are familiar with BRCA 1 and 2 gene mutations, which lead to an elevated risk of breast cancer. However, eighty-nine percent of breast cancers are not hereditary. Auria tests what is actually happening inside the body at that moment.”
Tears, a biofluid with significant diagnostic potential, have long been overlooked in the field of cancer screening. However, recent advancements in tear analysis have opened up new possibilities for noninvasive and accurate detection of various diseases, including cancer. Namida has leveraged this potential to develop Auria, a state-of-the-art test specifically designed to identify breast abnormalities associated with breast cancer.
“If we look to ancient history, we will see the first case documented of breast cancer in the daughter of Cyrus the Great,” says Moghadam. “The Greek surgeon felt the lump and removed the breast, and she was saved. This technique, feeling for lumps, remained the only screening tool for breast cancer until the 1980s, when mammography was invented. Forty years later, mammograms are still the top screening tool.”
This reality poses several problems for women. First and foremost, mammography is an X-ray technique. In the words of Moghadam, “One percent of breast cancer is caused by overexposure to X-ray radiation. Mammography is the only form of screening that can actually give…
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