Just days after disassembly of the blown film extrusion lines that ran there during the K show, the Düsseldorf fairgrounds again has welcomed a huge crowd. This time the show is called Medica / Compamed, with the visitors stemming from the medical branch. They have plenty to see, including this new test kit for screening cervical cancer.

Developed and molded by Greiner Bio-One GmbH (Frickenhausen, Germany), the PapilloCheck high-risk test system will augment the company's existing biochips product portfolio. The new in-vitro diagnostic device (IVD) offers analysis of 14 high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Greiner Bio-One specializes in the development, production and distribution of plastic laboratory equipment and ranks among the leading providers of products for the cultivation and analysis of cell and tissue cultures, as well as microplates for high-throughput screening, allowing industry and research rapid and efficient drug screening. The German division is a branch of the Austrian parent firm of the same name, which has turnover of about €279 million/yr. The company's production is handled in seven facilities, with two in Austria and one each in Germany, the U.S.A., Brazil, Thailand and Hungary.

Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by a persistent infection involving human papillomaviruses (HPV). The new high-risk test kit focuses on parallel analysis of 14 HPV types of the highrisk group that are recognized as carcinogenic. It is designed to help doctors assess patients' risk of cancer more effectively, while costs for the high-risk HPV test are covered by statutory health insurance if a smear test is inconclusive.