The French company Ziwig has developed a saliva test that would allow individuals affected by endometriosis to be diagnosed within a few days, regardless of the stage of the disease.
Reducing the diagnosis time from eight to ten years to just a few days is the goal of the Lyon-based company. The Endotest is a self-administered saliva test. Once completed, it only needs to be sent to a laboratory for DNA sequencing to determine whether the individual is affected by the disease.
It was tested by a panel of two hundred women in several French hospitals as part of a public-private partnership. This trial concluded that the test was 96% reliable. It has been approved by several associations, including ENDOmind, which fights against the disease.
It required three years of research by Ziwig, a company specializing in artificial intelligence and high-definition sequencing of human RNA, to develop their test.
A still very unknown disease
Endometriosis is a gynecological disease causing abdominal and pelvic pain. It is also the leading cause of infertility. Added to this are pains during menstruation and sexual intercourse, chronic fatigue, among other symptoms, as specified by the ENDOmind site. Symptoms and their intensity vary from person to person.
“There are different degrees, some women have severe forms with little pain, while others have mild forms but significant pain,” explains Nathalie Clary, president of the ENDOmind association, “we still don’t understand why.” There are three forms of the disease: “mild, moderate, and severe.” She adds: “We have no other criteria.”
It is an under-diagnosed disease that affects one in ten women. In France, this represents between 1.5 and 2.5 million people.
Endometriosis is often diagnosed late because “it is a taboo subject that also suffers from misconceptions. It wasn’t much talked about until recently,” details Nathalie Clary. “We considered that painful menstruation was normal. So, people wouldn’t necessarily seek consultation. Even doctors are subject to these preconceived notions.”
For healthcare professionals, this disease has only been included in their curriculum since last year. The association president confides: “Until September 2021, endometriosis training in medicine lasted only a quarter of an hour.”
Nascent research:
The disease is characterized by tissues similar to those of the uterus developing outside of it. Today, diagnosis is done through ultrasound or MRI.
There are no dedicated treatments for endometriosis. The president of ENDOmind states: “We use treatments that are repurposed from their original use. It’s a bit of a ‘handyman’s patchwork’.”
Due to being poorly known, the disease suffers from a lack of research to better understand and treat it. “There is a need to develop research. It is still in its infancy.”
The Endotest is not yet available on the market because, according to Franceinfo, the company is awaiting approval from the French National Authority for Health to have it reimbursed by social security.
