Point of Care: easier triage and treatment to improve cervical cancer screening
POINT of CARE: PrOviding an Innovative New Triage and Treatment strategy for Cervical cAncer scReening Efficiency
A portable, battery-powered thermal ablation device with an added endocervical probe and AI-guided imaging aims to improve treatment of cervical precancer for women screened in low- and middle-income countries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Basic Health International, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11194431 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project combines a handheld thermal ablation device with a digital colposcope and machine-learning software to help clinicians find and treat precancer on the cervix. The handheld device will be modified to include an endocervical probe so it can reach the squamocolumnar junction where most precancers arise. The goal is to allow screening, triage, and same-day treatment in low-resource clinics without needing large desktop equipment or extensive infrastructure. Patients will be followed after treatment to compare outcomes and confirm the device and AI guidance work well in real clinic settings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Women who screen positive for high-risk HPV or have abnormal cervical screening results and are eligible for ablative treatment at participating low-resource clinics are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Women with suspected invasive cancer, large lesions requiring excision, certain pregnancies, or those needing specialized surgical care are unlikely to benefit from this ablation-focused approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could expand access to effective same-day treatment for cervical precancer and reduce cervical cancer deaths in low-resource settings.
How similar studies have performed: Desktop thermal ablation with an endocervical probe has shown excellent long-term cure rates (~97%), handheld battery devices without endocervical probes have had lower cure rates (~83%), and combining a handheld endocervical probe with AI guidance is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- Basic Health International, INC. — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Masch, Rachel — Basic Health International, INC.
- Study coordinator: Masch, Rachel
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.