Irvine, California-based NeoMatrix offers the HALO Breast Pap Test, a fully automated, noninvasive breast disease screening device designed for use in a primary care setting. HALO is FDA approved for the collection of nipple aspirate fluid for cytological evaluation. The collected fluid is used to determine and/or differentiate normal, pre-malignant and malignant cells.
If made a part of routine check-ups, NeoMatrix believes HALO would enable physicians and patients to monitor cellular changes within breast ducts earlier, before they develop into larger, potentially cancerous lesions discovered by via conventional breast cancer screening modalities like mammography or manual breast examination.
Over 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year; it is the second leading cause of cancer death for US women. On average, breast cancer will have been growing eight years before it’s detectable on a mammogram and ten years before its palpable. $3 billion is spent annually on breast cancer screening, yet women still find 75% of lumps themselves.
Kathryn Tunstall, Chairman of NeoMatrix, is a breast cancer survivor. She served as President and CEO of Conceptus, from 1993 to 2000, leading the company through several rounds of private financing and an initial public offering in 1996. She has served as Chairman of the NeoMatrix Board of Directors since August 2006.