- August 12, 2025
- By Liya Tadesse
University of Maryland researchers who've developed an inexpensive treatment to prevent the disease in low- and middle-income countries are now seeking the best way to deliver it—an important step forward in expanding access to lifesaving care.
The research team, led by Fischell Department of Bioengineering Assistant Professor and Fischell Institute Affiliate Fellow Jenna Mueller, tested three ways to inject the treatment previously developed, a mixture of ethyl cellulose and ethanol (EC-ethanol), that can be used to safely destroy precancerous cells in the cervix.
One option was a single-needle injector, another was a multi-needle injector, which delivered the treatment to three locations in the cervix simultaneously, and the third was an “extender injector,” which used a shorter needle attached to a longer extender shaft.
The study, published last month in Springer Nature, found that the extender injector offered the best combination of precision, ease of use and affordability. Clinicians overwhelmingly preferred this option, noting its comfort, efficiency, and intuitive design. On average, the device delivered a clinically relevant dose of EC-ethanol in under 20 seconds.
The World Health Organization reports that cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with around 660,000 new cases. It killed about 350,000 in 2022.
“We believe we can significantly reduce this number in our lifetime if diagnosis and treatment technologies are made accessible to all,” said Mueller, who is principal investigator of the Global Biomedical Devices Lab.
EC-ethanol therapy builds on earlier work using ethanol ablation in liver tumors. By adding ethyl cellulose, the injectate forms a gel upon contact with tissue, dramatically reducing leakage and off-target damage. By using low-cost tools, each dose of EC-ethanol is expected to cost less than $1, and the preferred injector design can be produced for under $10.
One of the injector designs tested originated from a bioengineering capstone project, which one team member, David Garvey ’21, M.E. ’23, continued working on during his master’s program alongside Fischell Institute Engineer Kevin Aroom and Assistant Director Martha Wang.
Beyond cervical cancer care, the new injector designs could be applied to other routine gynecological procedures, such as administering paracervical nerve blocks or injecting indocyanine green for lymph node mapping.
With a $3 million Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award from the National Cancer Institute, the team is now preparing for a clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where EC-ethanol will be tested in patients scheduled for hysterectomy.
The overall EC-ethanol project has been supported by National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research awards in partnership with Calla Health, a startup focused on commercializing accessible cancer technologies.