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news.Research scientists working for Xenomics have successfully identified DNA sequences of the H. pylori bacteria, which cause gastric ulcers, in the urine of infected patients.
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H. pylori bacteria cause 80% to 90% of duodenal and gastric ulcers. Many more individuals in the world’s population are infected, but have no symptoms and are at increased risk for gastric cancer, mucosal-associated-lymphoid-type (MALT) lymphoma, and other conditions.
Presently, the only tests available for detecting H. pylori are stomach biopsies and blood tests for certain antibodies. “Unfortunately, the latter cannot differentiate between a current infection and the presence of antibodies related to a past infection. Xenomic’s urine based DNA diagnostic technology provides a non-invasive and reliable alternative to current practices,” commented Dr David Tomei, CEO and co-founder of Xenomics.
The study was performed in collaboration with Dr Dino Vaira and his colleagues at the University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy.
Xenomics intends to develop this platform into a pipeline of commercial medical testing products for the detection and/or monitoring of diverse diseases and health conditions, including prenatal conditions, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, malaria and numerous others.