It’s common knowledge that cancer is more treatable in its early stages. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the early detection of lung cancer increased the five-year survival rate to from 15 to 92 percent. Unfortunately, many cancers are not discovered in time. Patients may present without symptoms in the early stages of the disease, or their cancer may go undetected by conventional screening methods such as CT scans.
Biomoda is focused on the development and commercialization of diagnostic assays for the early detection of cancer. The Albuquerque-based company seeks to develop a cancer diagnostic test that is cost effective, non-invasive, and highly accurate. Biomoda’s CyPath diagnostic assay is based on molecular marker technology originally developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. CyPath utilizes a molecular compound that binds to cancer cells and causes them to fluoresce red under ultraviolet light. The company’s first product will test for lung cancer, a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Sixty percent of lung cancer patients die within the first year. As mentioned above, the odds of survival increase dramatically with early detection.
The CyPath diagnostic assay is currently undergoing Phase II clinical trials as Biomoda aims for both U.S. and European regulatory approval. Biomoda also seeks to target other types of cancers, including cervical, breast, colorectal and bladder cancers. CEO John J. Cousins reports that the molecular compound can bind to any type of cancer cell.
Cousins spoke about CyPath at this year’s OneMedForum, held Jan. 12-14 in San Francisco. In this video, Cousins talks to OneMedPlace about the science behind CyPath, as well as Biomoda’s future plans.