GlobeNewswire Inc | Mar 25, 2021 04:01PM EDT

March 25, 2021

AUSTIN, Texas, March 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aspira Womens Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: AWH), a bioanalytical-based womens health company, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Medical University Lodz to evaluate their novel microRNA (miRNA) technology in combination with current AWH technologies, for the development of a highly sensitive and specific high-risk early detection test for ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system and is the only gender-specific cancer with an over 50 percent mortality rate impacting women of all ages and ethnicities.

Over the past 10 years, Aspira has been actively developing and evaluating numerous technologies that will advance early detection of ovarian cancer. With our focused expertise and experience in multi-modality detection of ovarian cancer risk, we have the foundation to implement a liquid biopsy test specific to early-stage disease detection, said Lesley Northrop, Ph.D., FACMG, Chief Scientific Officer at Aspira Womens Health.

The survival rate for ovarian cancer is significantly higher in early stage, such that an early detection technology with superior sensitivity and specificity has the ability to impact the survival of this disease, added Elena Ratner, MD,Gynecologist Oncologist, Clinical Division Director, Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine and Global Chief Medical Advisor, Clinical and Translational Medicine at Aspira Womens Health. Dana-Farber, the Brigham, and Medical University Lodz have been long-recognized as leaders in ovarian cancer care and research, and we are extremely excited to collaborate with their teams and to potentially develop what we believe will be an extremely impactful test that can save the lives of countless women.

We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Aspira to combine the skills of all of our organizations to develop this novel test for ovarian cancers early detection, said Dr. Dipanjan Chowdhury, Chief of the Division of Radiation and Genome Stability, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Aspira is well-positioned to leverage our ground-breaking research in the field of miRNA, conducted collaboratively with Dr. Kevin Elias, Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Laboratory at Brigham and Womens, and Dr. Wojciech Fendler from the Department of Biostatistics and Translational Medicine of the Medical University of Lodz. Our hope is to translate this into the development of a novel test for early ovarian cancer detection.

About Aspira Womens Health Inc.Aspira Womens Health, Inc. (formerly known as, Vermillion inc.,Nasdaq:VRML) is transforming womens health with the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative testing options and bio-analytical solutions that help physicians assess risk, optimize patient management, and improve gynecologic health outcomes for women. ASPIRA is particularly focused on closing the ethnic disparity gap in ovarian cancer risk assessment and developing solutions for pelvic diseases such as pelvic mass risk assessment and endometriosis.OVA1 plus includes our FDA-cleared products, OVA1, and OVERAto detect risk of ovarian malignancy in women with adnexal masses. ASPIRA GenetiXtesting offers both targeted and comprehensive genetic testing options with a gynecologic focus. With over 10 years of expertise in ovarian cancer risk assessment, ASPIRA is delivering a portfolio of pelvic mass products over a patients lifetime with our cutting-edge research. The next generation of products in development are OVASightand EndoCheck.Visit our website for more information at www.aspirawh.com.

Investor Relations Contact:Ashley R. Robinson LifeSci Advisors, LLC Tel 617-430-7577Arr@lifesciadvisors.com