Ovarian Cancer is a common malignancy
New cases diagnosed annually. Incidence expected to rise 55.2% by 2050.
Of cases diagnosed when the cancer has spread to distant organs.
Higher 5-year survival rate when the cancer is detected at an early, localized state.
Current ovarian cancer diagnosis relies on ultrasound combined to CA125 blood test and confirmation with imaging and laparoscopy/laparotomy.
Conventional CA125 tests are not sensitive or accurate enough, making clinicians dependent on invasive procedures. The only definitive way to determine if a patient has ovarian cancer is through a biopsy.
Glycovariants in Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics – Enabling Early Stage Ovarian Cancer Detection
Glycovariants are molecular variants of a protein that differ in their glycan (sugar) structures due to changes in cellular glycosylation. In cancer diagnostics, disease‑associated glycovariants can act as specific biomarkers, improving the accuracy of cancer detection and monitoring compared with measuring total protein levels alone.
Conventional CA125 blood test
- Measures a known protein biomarker CA125
- Not cancer-specific. Elevated CA125 levels measured also in benign conditions, such as endometriosis, leading to false positive results.
- Challenges related to sensitivity. Low levels of CA125 may go undetected.
Glycovariant immunoassays
- Measure cancer-specific glycan structures on the surface of CA125 protein
- Cancer-specific, reducing false positive results and potentially need for unnecessary invasive procedures
- Potential for high sensitivity, enabling detection of lower analyte levels characteristic with early-stage ovarian cancer
Learn more about Uniogen’s glycovariant assay portfolio
(research use)
The GLYVAR® Ovarian Assay, currently available for research use only (RUO), detects CA125 with cancer-specific glycosylation.
Read more about the GLYVAR® Ovarian Assay (RUO)Brochures & Publications
Uniogen’s cancer diagnostic approach is based on the research performed at and published by the University of Turku. The studies show that the concept of glycosylation specific immunoassays clearly outperform the currently used blood based markers in cancer diagnosis and monitoring. Uniogen owns several patents related to the technology and has performed inhouse research, which has led to the diagnostic product development at Uniogen.
