Rhythm Biosciences ovarian cancer test shown to be twice as effective at identifying women at risk
A long running study has found that Rhythm Biosciences’ geneType ovarian cancer risk model is twice as effective at identifying ovarian cancer risk.
RHY’s geneType twice as effective at identifying women with elevated ovarian cancer risk than using clinical or genetic information alone
Peer-reviewed study validates Rhythm's ovarian cancer risk prediction model
Cross-validation across two major datasets confirms consistent performance of gene test
Special Report: Ovarian cancer results in more than 1000 deaths among Australian women every year, but a peer-reviewed study shows a new test could dramatically improve the likelihood of identifying women at risk.
Rhythm Biosciences has received independent clinical validation that its geneType ovarian cancer risk model is twice as effective at identifying women with elevated risk of ovarian cancer than traditional methods.
The results from the long-running study were published in a peer-reviewed manuscript titled “Validation of a clinical and polygenic risk prediction model for ovarian cancer in the Nurses’ Health Study” in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Read the study here.
It found that combining clinical risk factors, family history, and a polygenic risk score more effectively identifies two times more women at elevated ovarian cancer risk than using clinical or genetic information alone.
Importantly for Rhythm Biosciences (ASX:RHY), the study cross validates its geneType ovarian cancer risk-prediction model ability to meaningfully separate women into different risk levels.
This reinforces earlier results from the UK Biobank analysis, demonstrating consistent performance across two independent, large-scale datasets.
It also provides strong evidence supporting the model’s potential use in clinical practice while underpinning the company’s broader multi-cancer risk assessment strategy.
“Our team was honoured to work with esteemed collaborators to cross-validate the model in a cohort such as the Nurses’ Health Study,” clinical affairs director Dr Erika Spaeth said.
“This publication represents an important step in strengthening the clinical evidence behind our ovarian cancer risk prediction model.”
Early diagnosis
Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed late due to the lack of an effective general-population screening test.
Accurate risk prediction plays a critical role in early detection and prevention. Identifying women at higher risk enables more personalised medical discussions, including closer monitoring or consideration of preventive options.
This supports geneType’s role in enabling risk-stratified screening and prevention, a key approach as healthcare systems move toward more proactive disease management.
RHY seeks to make the product available to women who have a heightened risk for ovarian cancer or are seeking additional personal information on their disease risks.
The company acquired the testing platform from the administrators of Genetic Technologies late last year and believes it will complement its ColoSTAT blood-based test for the presence of bowel cancer.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
