After months of extensive and fruitful discussions, I am pleased to announce a landmark partnership between Numelec Africa Holdings and Digistain® to introduce into the Nigerian healthcare system a novel DNA risk profiling test for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients. This initiative is designed to reduce the chemotherapy burden on Nigerian women while transforming oncology practice in our country.
The Digistain® Breast DNA test, developed at Imperial College London, represents a breakthrough in precision oncology. Unlike conventional RNA-based assays, Digistain directly measures and quantifies tumour DNA, offering spatially specific readings unaffected by tumour heterogeneity or ethnicity. Published data shows 99 per cent accuracy at five years and 95 per cent accuracy at ten years.
This means oncologists can stratify patients as low risk or high risk with unmatched confidence, ensuring chemotherapy is only prescribed when absolutely necessary. The introduction of Digistain will therefore save Nigerians billions of naira yearly by avoiding needless chemotherapy, while also streamlining oncology workflows and reducing costs across the health system.
As I noted at the signing: “Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality among Nigerian women. By partnering with Digistain, we are not only bringing cutting edge diagnostics to our healthcare sector but also affirming Numelec’s commitment to democratising access to transformative health technologies. This collaboration has the potential to redefine cancer care in Nigeria, giving physicians and patients alike the clarity and confidence to make life-saving treatment decisions.”
My deepest appreciation goes to the Digistain® team, especially CEO and Founder of Digistain, Dr Hemmel Amrania PhD Breast Cancer Diagnostics and Commercial Manager at Digistain, Sasha Becejac. They are truly committed to improving cancer care and saving lives, as noted by Dr Hemmel, through “empowering Nigerian oncologists with rapid, accurate, and affordable risk stratification, ensuring that breast cancer patients receive the most appropriate treatment.”
I also grateful to my outstanding colleagues at Numelec Africa Holdings for making this transformative partnership a reality.
This is a new dawn for cancer care in Nigeria. We look forward to engaging policy leaders, pathologists, oncologists, and other healthcare practitioners to embed this innovation at scale and to extend its benefits across the African continent.
Culled from Ese Owie’s Post on LinkedIn
