Briway Seattle/ Fidalab attended the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) 98th Annual Meeting, Scientific Sessions and Exhibition, September 18-23, 2016, in Las Vegas, NV for the first time; and as a one-of-a kind exhibitor with their first product offering.
The Annual Meeting of the AAOMS attracts more than 5,000 of the 9,000 members.
The Fidalab team, which included co-founders Cheng Xie and Dr. Qinghua Feng, PhD, engaged in three busy days of dialogue with attendees and exhibitors alike, answered questions, collected insights, and received encouraging feedback–as they showcased the Oral Rinse Collection Kit.
The exhibition area proved to be an ideal environment to find out what oral surgeons and their support staff thought about the easy-to-administer HPV screening test–one that augments visual screening methods.
Fidalab developed the kit and laboratory assay to provide an adjunctive screening tool for oral health practitioners. The assay detects as few as 10 copies of certain high-risk HPV viruses–16 and 18. Ideally, patients at an increased risk of developing HPV-associated oral cancer should be screened (at minimum) annually for oral lesions and HPV infection that persists.
Key educational takeaways for visitors to Fidalab’s booth included:
- Fidalab’s test utilizes quantitative real-time PCR technology which offers higher sensitivity and specificity than regular PCR-based assays.
- Oral rinse HPV testing can help monitor patients who have developed a lesion that is not cancerous but requires intensive follow-up.
- Concurrent HPV testing after a lesion has been identified can help individualize treatment.
Surgical assistant, Lisa Zamora, summed up her assessment saying that the oral surgeon she supported would appreciate the non-invasive test as, “one more way to reassure patients” who required continued surveillance after biopsies; as well as post-treatment. Dr. Feng, who has done extensive research on HPV 16 and cervical cancer stressed that, “Oral rinse HPV testing may be used to help reduce the incidence of oral cancer.” Detecting and treating a lesion that is precancerous is optimal for a patient and their quality of life post-treatment.
Fidalab’s ultimate goal as an organization, in product development, and in offering continuing education, is to contribute to a reduction of HPV-associated oral cancer incidence through early detection and treatment.
Attending the 98th Annual Meeting of the AAOMS in Las Vegas as a new innovative company was both educational and entertaining.