Transgenomic has completed the purchase of Axial Biotech's new saliva-based multi-gene test, designed for assessing the likelihood of spinal curve progression in individuals diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), for $4.4m in cash.

The new ScoliScore AIS Prognostic test identifies patients that will not progress to a severe curvature as well as reduces patients’ need for repeated doctor visits, physical examinations as well as exposure to X-Rays.

A 67% increase in breast cancer was observed in adolescent patients with scoliosis who under went exposure to 25 or more X-Rays in a 5,466 women study conducted by National Cancer Institute.

Transgenomic chief executive officer Craig Tuttle said using a simple saliva test, ScoliScore technology can predict, with 99% accuracy, those patients that will not progress to having a severe spinal curve.

"No other method of AIS evaluation is as accurate and convenient," Tuttle added.

"The health economic benefits of the ScoliScore Test are considerable for patients, physicians, and payors, when taking into account the time and expense associated with repeated radiography and the costs related to treating AIS.

"ScoliScore is emblematic of the kind of value-added, proprietary genetic test on which Transgenomic is built."