Research suggests a potential topical treatment for common skin cancers, squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma

Findings will be presented at 2026 RNA Therapeutics Symposium June 24-26

bioAffinity Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIAF, BIAFW)), a biotechnology company advancing early-stage cancer diagnostics and targeted therapeutics, will present preclinical findings for a novel therapeutic approach that uses small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that kill squamous and basal skin cancer cells in vitro while leaving non-cancerous skin cells unharmed.

The newly released findings support the Company’s efforts to develop topical treatments for squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, two of the most common forms of skin cancer. An estimated 5.4 million cases of these skin cancers are diagnosed every year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Although surgery is the standard treatment, many patients require additional intervention because of incomplete resection, in which all of the cancerous tissue is not removed, or the risk of recurrence. To date, there is no commercial topical siRNA therapy specifically indicated for basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma.

David J. Elzi, PhD, bioAffinity Technologies Vice President of Product Development, will present the Company’s research at the 2026 RNA Therapeutics (RNATx) Symposium. RNATx brings together researchers, biotech/pharma, clinicians and industry focused on RNA therapeutics, oligonucleotides, mRNA, siRNA, gene editing and translational medicine.

The research builds on earlier findings showing that siRNA silencing of two specific cell surface receptors, CD320 and LRP2, impaired cell viability across multiple cancer cell lines in vitro – including lung, breast, prostate, brain, and skin cancer – while sparing healthy primary cells. That discovery is the subject of U.S. Patent No. 12,305,171, "Compositions and Methods for Treating Cancer," issued in 2025.

In the in vitro study, researchers synthesized siRNAs targeting specific cell receptors and transfected them into squamous and basal skin cancer cell lines and non-cancerous skin cells. Non-cancerous skin cells were unaffected by silencing the receptors, while squamous and basal skin cancer cell proliferation was significantly impaired. Microscopic analysis corroborated these findings, demonstrating cancer cell cytotoxicity following treatment without observable harm to healthy cells. These results were obtained in controlled laboratory conditions and may not be predictive of results in human clinical trials. The Company’s preclinical findings have not been tested in humans, and no Investigational New Drug (IND) application has been filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).