# Cervical Cancer Prevention Prebiotic Device

> **NIH NIH R41** · GLYCIOME, LLC · 2022 · $54,975

## Abstract

Through current Phase I predicate STTR funding (1R41CA254543-1A1), Glyciome, LLC (a women-owned
company), is completing preclinical proof-of-concept and integrated-prototype design for a novel, user-directed,
prebiotic vaginal gel (“PreBioGyn”) to prevent cervical cancer by optimization of healthy vaginal microbial and
mucosal function. Global genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are common (~440 million/yr), linking to
500,000 cases of cervical cancer and 288,000 deaths/yr. Persistence of high-risk HPV and overgrowth of
harmful vaginal bacteria (“dysbiosis”) result in mucosal and metabolic factors that cause cervical cancer. The
PreBioGyn gel will be accessible to all women (HPV vaccinated or not), and is specifically targeted to individuals
in healthcare disparate, Low Resource Settings (“LRS”), to optimize vaginal ecology and prevent dysbiosis,
inflammation, HPV persistence and oncogenesis. Existing therapies for dysbiosis symptom-relief (douches,
over-the counter acid-gels) harm the vaginal ecosystem. Their use associates with 3-fold increases in urogenital
adverse events, including infection. In contrast, PreBioGyn offers a prebiotic, cervical cancer prevention
approach for women across racial/ethnic groups to optimize endogenous, beneficial vaginal microbiota and
protective cervicovaginal metabolic and mucosal profiles. Through the supplemental award mechanism, the
Glyciome I-Corps team will participate in an Entrepreneurial Immersion course that uses a hypothesis-driven
research method of customer discovery to gain insights into the issues associated with commercialization of the
proprietary PreBioGyn technology. As part of this innovative curriculum, the I-Corp team members will gather
information through robust interviews (n=100) with potential customers, strategic partners, and other third-party
stakeholders, in a 25-hours/week/team-member effort during the 8-week training period. The Glyciome I-Corps
team will share what they have learned with instructors and other teams, gaining insights into the prospective
value proposition of the predicate STTR grant technology. The I-Corps program will accelerate development and
commercialization of the PreBioGyn technology, and assist Glyciome in adapting well-informed pivots for a
refined product rollout plan, using research findings to optimize the cervical cancer prevention device’s capability
to alleviate unmet clinical needs. These data will help modify Glyciome’s commercial product impact null-
hypothesis, and diversify the known technology ecosystem, to accelerate transformation of the invention for
impact in reducing cervical cancer deaths, especially for women in LRS. Glyciome’s I-Corp team has an
established history of productive collaboration with developed workflows and project tools, including working
together on product development, retail distribution and direct-to-consumer sales, and patient and healthcare
provider product education/awareness. This team has successfully t...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10541352
- **Project number:** 3R41CA254543-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** GLYCIOME, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Joanna Elizabeth Ellington
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $54,975
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-03-15 → 2022-06-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10541352

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10541352, Cervical Cancer Prevention Prebiotic Device (3R41CA254543-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10541352. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*