Georgia
Georgia Tech innovator develops home cervical cancer screening device for women
Student wins award for new cervical cancer screening
A DeKalb County native studying at Georgia Tech has a bright idea that many women will have interest in. An early detection of cervical cancer has saved many lives, but many women will tell you getting tested is not fun. The student looks to help with that.
ATLANTA – A Georgia Tech student is hoping to change the way women experience cervical cancer screenings with a new device designed to be more comfortable and accessible than traditional Pap smears.
Rakeb Tesfatsellassie, a junior at Georgia Tech and native of DeKalb County, is developing a home screening test for cervical cancer that she says could encourage more women to get tested. The idea was born from a personal motivation and a desire to improve outdated medical tools.
Cervical cancer home screening test
What they’re saying:
“It’s really an uncomfortable situation to be in,” Tesfatsellassie said. “My partner and I are around the same age, and we both said the same thing — we don’t want to do this. Hopefully by the time we start doing Pap smears, we would want to see new innovation.”
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 4,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die from cervical cancer this year. Tesfatsellassie’s prototype aims to make early detection more appealing by creating a test women can use at home.
“You can insert it yourself,” she said. “It should be softer silicone, not harder. You would be able to grab it and it’s comfortable to insert it in and out.”
The design is described as simple and intuitive.
“It’s similar looking to a tampon,” Tesfatsellassie said.
Doctors typically do not recommend Pap smears until age 21, but Tesfatsellassie began working on the concept at 20. She said her passion for early detection came after losing a close family member to cancer.
“I know how important it is to have early detection,” she said.
Georgia Tech student Rakeb Tesfatsellassie’s accolades
What we know:
Tesfatsellassie’s idea won last year’s Community College Innovation Challenge while she was enrolled at Georgia State’s Perimeter College. After transferring to Georgia Tech, she joined the university’s Create-X program, which supports student startups and innovations. The project has already received a provisional patent, and Tesfatsellassie and her team have formed a limited liability company.
What’s next:
“It’s not where you start,” she said. “It’s where you want to go.”
The Source: FOX 5’s Kevyn Stewart spoke with Rakeb Tesfatsellassie, a junior at Georgia Tech and native of DeKalb County, about developing a home screening test for cervical cancer.