When will the UK achieve HIV transmission elimination? Modelling the impact of current HIV prevention efforts on progress towards the 2030 elimination goal
In 2019, the previous UK government set the ambitious target of eliminating HIV transmission within the UK by 2030. While great progress has been made in HIV prevention and treatment in the UK, with England reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target in 20231, past evidence suggested that the goal of ‘elimination’ by 2030 is unlikely to Read More >
Is it possible to eliminate the transmission of a virus which doesn’t have a cure or a vaccine? This is certainly the hope for HIV.
In 2019, the previous government committed to eliminating HIV transmission by 2030 [1]. An action plan was developed [2] and a funding commitment made for opt-out HIV testing in hospital A&Es. However, an analysis by UCL [3] found that we are unlikely to achieve the 2030 goal with the current prevention efforts, despite an estimated Read More >
Exploring an alternative way to triage samples within cervical cancer screening
Our analysis comparing the costs of using DNA methylation testing for triage instead of liquid-based cytology (LBC) within the Netherlands cervical screening programme has now been published as an open access peer reviewed publication in the journal Diagnostics. Self-sample collection for human papillomavirus (HPV)-primary cervical screening has been adopted in some settings to complement traditional Read More >
Economic evaluation comparing two cervical screening strategies in Belgium: HPV primary versus co-testing
Our recent research comparing two hypothetical cervical screening algorithms in Belgium, has been accepted for publication in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention and is now available online as a preprint in medRxiv. In the study, we performed a cost-consequence analysis to evaluate the financial implications and potential benefits of two different screening protocols: 1) Read More >
Comparing the costs and benefits of the use of an mRNA HR-HPR assay to a DNA HR-HPV assay in the proposed cervical screening programme in France
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women aged 15 to 44 years in France. With the implementation of cytology-based cervical screening, cervical cancer incidence and mortality have decreased over time, however, cervical cancer remains a concern. As cervical cancer is primarily caused by persistent infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV), guidelines for Read More >
Further evidence that point of care (POC) testing for STIs means better clinical care for patients
Most people are now familiar with using rapid diagnostic tests with many people regularly using lateral flow tests for COVID-19. Within sexual health clinics, rapid testing for HIV has been widely used for a number of years but using rapid tests for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea is not yet Read More >
User experience and workflow performance: a pilot evaluation of the Genius Digital Diagnostics System for screening cervical cytology samples
It is generally understood that the cytology work process can be stressful and fatiguing affecting technicians’ performance and job satisfaction on a day-to-day basis and in the longer term. This study assessed the performance and user experience of cytotechnologists (CTs) reviewing liquid-based cytology samples using a new digital cytology platform Genius Digital Diagnostics System (Genius Read More >
Modelling the costs and benefits of an mRNA compared to a DNA high-risk HPV assay in a hypothetical HPV primary screening algorithm in Ontario, Canada
Cases of cervical cancer in Canada have decreased recently as a result of cytology-based screening programs. However, cervical cancer remains a relatively common and preventable cause of cancer in women. As cervical cancer is primarily caused by persistent genital infection with high-risk (HR) human papillomaviruses, Ontario Health has been evaluating implementing HPV-based testing in cervical Read More >
Research in Dravet syndrome and cervical cancer screening presented at international conferences
Aquarius has recently presented posters at international conferences (ISPOR, a conference for the leading professional society for health economics and outcomes research and EUROGIN, an international multidisciplinary HPV conference), exploring the impact of improving healthcare for two very different conditions: Dravet syndrome (rare debilitating epilepsy) and cervical cancer. Read More >