UVU Bio is Powering Africa’s Access to Life-Saving Breast Cancer Diagnostics

For countless women across Africa, access to affordable breast cancer testing can mean the difference between early, life-saving care and a late diagnosis, often requiring more complex interventions and longer treatment journeys. 

October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month reminds us that early detection saves lives and that awareness alone isn’t enough. According to the Cancer Association of South Africa referencing the National Cancer Registry, breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer among South African women, with about 1 in 27 women likely to be diagnosed in their lifetime.  

Against this backdrop, technologies that enable faster, more accurate, and affordable diagnostics are critical. Traditional molecular testing for breast cancer risk can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming, but there is now an AI-powered tool that’s making accurate diagnosis faster and more affordable. 

UVU Bio localises cutting-edge breast cancer diagnostics tech

As part of this initiative, the OriGenes Institute, based within UVU Bio’s Open Access Labs, has partnered with global innovators to introduce Digistain, a digital pathology tool that enables clinicians assess recurrence risk faster, more accurately, and at a fraction of traditional testing costs. 

The recent launch event held at UVU Africa’s Woodstock Innovation hub highlighted how shared infrastructure and partnership can make global health technologies locally accessible. By integrating this AI-enabled diagnostic tool into our innovation ecosystem, UVU Bio is strengthening the conditions that allow scientific innovation to take root and scale across the continent. 

Technology transfer with continental impact  

Digistain uses mid-infrared spectrometry and AI analytics to produce a single prognostic score that helps clinicians determine the best treatment path for eligible early-stage breast cancer patients. In simpler terms, this means patients can get results the same day without sending samples abroad or waiting weeks for an outcome. 

“Our mission is to make high-quality recurrence-risk profiling fast, affordable and equitable,” said Digistain spokesperson, Dr Hemmel Amrania. 

Through this technology-transfer partnership, OriGenes Institute will now build the operational, data, and bioinformatics capacity required to run Digistain locally within UVU Bio’s Open Access Lab. This ensures that South Africa will be a driver of regional capability.  

Building local capacity and skills 

Through UVU Bio’s Open Access Lab, young and emerging scientists have the opportunity to work alongside global experts using the latest technology, equipping a new generation of African scientists to lead on the global stage. Through skills transfer and knowledge exchange, Africa’s scientists are gaining critical expertise in regulatory compliance, bioinformatics, and applied biotechnology. At the same time, the initiative is strengthening networks across academia, healthcare, and industry, nurturing the talent and capacity needed to scale tomorrow’s scientific breakthroughs from within the continent. 

Ecosystem orchestration in action 

As South Africa, and the continent, continues to confront rising breast cancer rates, particularly among younger women, UVU Bio’s partnership with OriGenes and Digistain offers hope, speed, and empowerment. By turning global innovation into local power, UVU Bio is helping ensure that equitable, life-saving cancer diagnostics become an African reality.