Say “Ah!”

Imagine a reality in which, with just a swab from the cheek, people could know exactly which diseases they are predisposed to, what they will die from and the speed at which it will happen.

It’s not science fiction. This is what Paul Slowey, CEO of Vancouver, Wash.-based Oasis Diagnostics Corp., is now working to develop.

Oasis is developing noninvasive and rapid test products, including ones that work by extracting DNA from saliva and epithelial cells in the mouth instead of from blood. “Personalized medicine is taking off while we are developing tools for noninvasive testing,” says Slowey. “Any company with molecular diagnostics for many diseases can use saliva instead of blood with the appropriate tools.”

Saliva diagnostics has developed in recent years to the point where it can identify diseases and infections in saliva samples-HIV, for example, is 1,500 times more diluted than in the blood-with the same accuracy as blood tests. The tools can be formatted to screen for disorders including diabetes, tuberculosis, various cancer markers, drugs and steroids, and HIV. Slowey is encouraged by the fact that the National Institutes of Health has indicated it favors research into saliva testing. And the fact that people don’t like needles, he says, adds extra incentive.

Inspiration for a noninvasive testing method came from Slowey’s experience working for Saliva Diagnostic Systems and OraSure Technologies. Both companies’ technologies are good, but also have deficiencies, such as difficulty in preserving saliva specimens for later use. Slowey has resolved these issues by developing a way to maintain the integrity of samples for further testing.

Slowey and his associates have invested more than half a million dollars in the company since its inception in 2002, but the business also won a $50,000 Zino Society award last spring.

A patented collection device is now on the market, and some saliva diagnostic tests for diseases may become commercially available starting this year. Ultimately, Slowey aims to spread Oasis’ products worldwide. “Ideally,” he says, “we want to find a partner to take it to the global level-some big organization that wants to help humankind.”