The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced a Phase II small business innovation research (SBIR) contract to Epic Sciences for the development of a lung cancer diagnostic blood test.
The grant, entitled 'Circulating Tumor Cell Enumeration Product', will support the development and clinical validation of assay to detect and characterize circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in lung cancer patients.
Epic Sciences president and CEO David Nelson said, "The highly competitive SBIR program funded by federal research dollars is essential for translating innovative technologies into products that can improve the health, well-being and security of the nation."
The company previously received a Phase I grant which it used to develop a clinically useful method for identifying and characterizing CTCs, while the Phase II grant will be used to zero in on the diagnostic test for use in suspected lung cancer patients.
Together Phase I and II grants are valued at $1.2m.
