Vigilant Biosciences is making its oral rinse test available to dentists in the United States, the Fort Lauderdale startup company said Tuesday. The laboratory test is designed to measure a biomarker for oral cancer detection at its earliest stages.

The OncAlert Labs OraMark Test will be available in the second half of 2016, exclusively through OncAlert Labs, a Vigilant Biosciences-affiliated company.

Vigilant Biosciences, which was founded in 2011, said the test helps detect oral cancer even potentially before visual indicators such as tumors.

“The launch of OraMark is a major milestone for our company as it represents our first product available in the U.S.,” said Matthew Kim, founder and CEO of Vigilant Biosciences.

OraMark science leverages more than a decade of clinical research conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Franzmann, researcher at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is Vigilant’s chief science officer.

Currently, the majority of oral cancer cases are detected through a visual exam or symptoms, which often means the patients are in a late stage. Early diagnosis of oral cancer results in a cure rate of up to 90 percent, industry experts say.

Source: Sun Sentinel