AN ALLOA health tech start-up is hoping its device could hold the key to simpler and less invasive cervical cancer treatment.

Company Emblation has featured in promising research which could deliver less painful and more effective treatment for patients.

The Lancet journal has published results from university lab tests which demonstrated how cancerous cells can be destroyed with technology pioneered by the firm.

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow used Emblation’s Swift® device to treat lab-grown cancer cells with precise doses of microwaves, delivering highly effective results.

Dr Matt Kidd, director of research and development at Emblation, said: “It’s hugely important that these results have been proven repeatedly under laboratory conditions and peer-reviewed.

“This is a first and absolutely vital step toward eventually getting tests out of the lab and into medical situations involving real patients.

“While we were delighted to provide a Swift device for the research and helped train the scientists in how to use it, we had no involvement in the experiments.

“So, we have been genuinely thrilled to read about the highly-promising results in The Lancet.”

Funded by a Chief Scientist Office grant, a five-strong team of scientists at the University of Glasgow undertook the research, with their methodology and findings published by The Lancet.

The study appears in eBioMedicine, part of its Discovery Science section.

The research focused specifically on treating cervical tumour tissues associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) infections.

Variations of HPV cause genital warts and are associated with a host of genital cancers in both men and women.

High risk HPVs cause more than 99 per cent of cervical cancers.

After growing 3D cancer tissues in the lab, the team then treated them with precise bursts of microwave energy from the Swift device.

While varying the length of bursts and temperatures involved, the scientists measured and recorded the effects on cancer cells and surrounding tissues.

“Precision microwave delivery may present a potential new treatment for HPV-positive anogenital precancerous lesions and cancers,” The Lancet report concluded.

Dr Kidd added: “Our technology has already delivered game changing results in podiatry and dermatology – but all of us at Emblation believe we have only just started to unlock the true potential of microwave therapies.

“We will continue to support research whenever we can that helps show how our devices may be beneficial in treatments from cancer to cardiac conditions.”