PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — UE LifeSciences Inc. (UELS), medical device maker of innovative breast cancer detection tools, has announced a crowd-funding campaign to help fight breast cancer. The 'We Must Try' campaign will offer 25,000 women painless and radiation-free breast examinations at several clinics in India, Mexico, Panama, Brazil and Egypt.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131022/PH01810-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131022/PH01810-b )
"The goal is to identify breast cancers earlier to directly and positively impact treatment outcomes and extend quality life," said Dr. Ari Brooks, Director of the Integrated Breast Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. "We Must Try has this goal at the heart of its campaign."
"7 out of 10 breast cancer deaths are now occurring in low-resource countries where mammography screening, the only known model for early detection, is virtually impossible to implement at a large scale," says Dr. Mahesh Shetty, Clinical Professor of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine. "We need a paradigm shift, a model that works specifically for low-resource regions," he added.
The 'We Must Try' campaign will bring a set of non-invasive and easy-to-use early detection tools developed by UE LifeSciences to areas where the vast majority of breast cancer cases are reported at late stages, with poor prognosis. A detailed report at the end of the project will be shared with health authorities in several developing countries to help establish a new, sustainable framework for breast cancer detection.
UELS' NoTouch BreastScan (NTBS, www.NoTouchBreastScan.com) device is a contact-free breast-imaging tool cleared by the FDA (Feb. 2012) for the detection of breast cancer. UELS is also developing the Intelligent Breast Exam (iBE, www.iBreastExam.com), a novel hand-held, battery-powered, and wireless breast scanner backed by the CURE grant award (Aug 2012) from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The campaign will offer both inventions together in a "multi-modality" approach to detect breast cancer early. "It's a brand new toolkit – one that is easy to deploy with health workers and one that helps women to step forward for comfortable, low-cost and pain-free examinations routinely," said Prof. Matthew Campisi, chief technology officer of UELS.
A five-minute online film showcases the campaign at www.WeMustTry.com. It is a not-for-profit project looking for philanthropic contributions and corporate sponsorship to help cover the cost of 25,000 breast exams at $10 per woman examined. UE LifeSciences and several doctors from each region are offering resources as necessary to accomplish the cause.
Nearly 10 million healthy and productive life years are being lost prematurely to breast cancer in low-income parts of the world as per the World Health Organization. "We are absolutely committed to curb this unfortunate, unacceptable and unsustainable loss. Mothers, sisters, wives and friends in the developing world deserve a fighting chance. We Must Try." says Mihir Shah, founder and CEO of UELS.
About UE LifeSciences Inc.
UE LifeSciences Inc. (UELS) is a Philadelphia, PA-based corporation with a mission to design, develop and commercialize globally adoptable and clinically effective non-invasive breast cancer detection solutions for women of all ages and demographics.
Media Contacts
Mihir Shah, +1 (631) 980-8340, Email