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Breast Cancer Survivor Develops Urine Test For Early Detection

KCBS_740 SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- A UC Davis graduate who survived breast cancer is developing a urine test that she says could detect it earlier.

In the first year of her Ph.D. program at UC Davis, Angela Courtney's studies and life took a turn. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and became passionate about detecting it early.

"We need to look at diagnosing and screening for breast cancer in a different way. Mammograms have saved a lot of lives but they have some challenges as well," Courtney told KCBS.

She started a company, Adrastia Biotech, to commercialize a urine test that scans for protein and genomic material that can indicate breast cancer.

Courtney doesn't expect it will replace mammograms, but it could be considered a less expensive, lower risk supplement to x-ray that's easier to administer.

"It should be something that would be part of every woman's ... yearly physical. In remote areas, those samples can be mailed in securely so that we can run the testing," she said.

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