MOLDIAG LAUNCHES THE FIRST 100% MOROCCAN MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR BREAST CANCER DEVELOPED BY MAScIR

In Morocco, one woman in eight is likely to develop breast cancer during her life. With almost 10,500 women diagnosed each year, Morocco is particularly concerned by this pathology, characterized by the highest incidence of all cancers at the national level, i.e. 36% of cancers and 28% of deaths due to cancer in women.

Fully aware of the underlying stakes, Morocco is leading the fight against this type of cancer as part of its public health policies. To this end, the Ministry of Health has been implementing since 2010 a National Plan for Cancer Prevention and Control with active support from the Lalla Salma Foundation for Cancer Prevention and Treatment. This plan, cited as an example at the international level, includes screening and early detection of breast cancer as a national priority.

This year  and especially during the month of October, the international month dedicated to the fight against breast cancer, the MAScIR foundation made a commitment to health professionals and civil society to fight against this scourge.

Indeed, despite the existence of an effective treatment at an optimized cost, in particular Biosimilars, the time and cost of diagnosis continue to be obstacles to early and adequate therapeutic management of the disease.

Based on this observation and capitalizing on their experience of more than ten years in the development of diagnostic kits, essentially based on molecular technologies, the MAScIR Foundation teams have developed and biologically validated in Morocco and internationally the first 100% Moroccan molecular diagnostic test for breast cancer.

This innovative test allows the diagnosis and quantification of the mRNA that codes for the HER2 protein using the RT-qPCR technique. This diagnosis and quantification help identify the type of cancer detected (HER2 status), which is an essential step in making an appropriate therapeutic decision.

Following a series of studies that have shown its accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and rapid availability of results. This test has been registered and authorized by the Ministry of Health for production,

MAScIR aims, through the production of these tests, to contribute to the health security of the Kingdom. This action is fully in line with the national strategy for the generalization of medical coverage, mastery of technologies, manufacturing of health products and contribution to continental public health strategies.

MAScIR, is an applied research institution, belonging to the network of scientific laboratories at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.

MAScIR’s ambition is to promote and develop research and development poles in Morocco that meet the country’s needs for advanced technologies, especially in the field of medical biology. To date, it has been able to file nearly 190 patents with extensions at the African regional level, to produce some 700 scientific articles in internationally recognized journals and to carry out more than a hundred projects and achievements with national and foreign industrialists, thus demonstrating its maturity and its capacities in scientific and applied research.