This month, we dig into oropharyngeal cancer and HPV, microbiome and vaginitis, and microFLOQ in forensic DNA testing.

• In addition to cervical cancer, HPV is a significant factor in the development of oropharyngeal cancer, and its prompt detection is crucial for diagnosis and treatment planning. The first study from Italy investigates the effectiveness of two non-invasive sampling methods for detecting HPV DNA in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The study involved 26 patients, each providing two self-collected oral specimens, oral rinse and LolliSponge, which were analyzed using HPV genotyping techniques. Results showed that LolliSponge had higher specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy than the oral rinse method, with a significantly better diagnostic performance. The researchers conclude that oral sponge sampling is a valuable non-invasive option for detecting HPV in OSCC patients, particularly those with functional deficits due to the disease. Further research with larger cohorts is recommended to confirm these results and explore clinical integration.
• The second study addresses the limitations of current tools for vaginitis diagnosis, a common condition affecting women globally, with bacterial vaginosis (BV) being the most prevalent form. Traditional diagnostic methods rely on clinical criteria, microscopy, or limited microbial detection using qPCR. Still, many vaginal infections are linked to changes in the vaginal microbiome rather than a single causative agent. The US researchers introduce here a metagenomic sequencing test for the vaginal microbiome, providing a comprehensive analysis of all organisms present. This test demonstrates high accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and BV predictive values and has been certified by regulatory bodies. So far, the test has been applied to over 7,000 vaginal samples, offering insights into the US population’s vaginal microbiome.
• The last study investigated the effectiveness of microFLOQ direct swabs in forensic DNA testing. It focused on their use in traditional polymerase chain reaction capillary electrophoresis (PCR-CE) and a new massively parallel sequencing (MPS) protocol. The study aimed to determine how well DNA profiles could be generated directly from small subsamples of blood, saliva, and semen without DNA extraction or quantitation. The researchers used cotton swabs and 4N6FLOQSwabs to collect both fresh and dried biological samples, which were then subsampled using microFLOQ swabs. The results indicated that subsamples from fresh bodily fluids produced more complete STR profiles than those from dried samples. Additionally, the custom MPS protocol successfully generated DNA profiles from diluted saliva, blood, and touch DNA collected from nonabsorbent surfaces. The study demonstrated that microFLOQ swabs are effective for direct amplification and producing high-quality DNA profiles suitable for forensic use.

Read the full studies: