This award will lead to the development of EPISEEK-MPE, a multi-cancer detection test, using pleural fluid to detect cancer.
Tucson, AZ—August 27, 2024—Precision Epigenomics Inc. (“Precision Epigenomics”), a molecular diagnostic healthcare company that features liquid biopsy testing, announces that it has been selected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract. The $2M award will help develop EPISEEK-MPETM, its multi-cancer detection assay, in the analysis of pleural effusion fluid to detect cancer.
Pleural effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid around the lung. There are approximately 1.5 million cases in the US each year. While the causes of pleural effusion are numerous, cancer is often the culprit. To assess these patients, physicians remove fluid and send it for laboratory analysis. The presence of cancer in the fluid has a profound impact on care and prognosis. Unfortunately, conventional examination detects cancer in only about half of the cases that are cancerous. By using EPISEEK-MPE, the chances of detecting cancer improve dramatically.
“By detecting cancer earlier, we may avoid subjecting these already sick patients to invasive costly procedures that often have complications,” says Dr. Joshua Routh, medical director of Precision Epigenomics. Dr. Mark Nelson, CEO of Precision Epigenomics, added, “This NIH grant will support the urgent research and commercialization plan needed to make this test available to patients across the US as quickly as possible. We must change the way cancers are detected.”
Precision Epigenomics is partnering with the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Tucson and Phoenix campuses, for this award. “We are excited to work with Precision Epigenomics on this project,” says Billie Bixby, M.D, an interventional pulmonologist at the University of Arizona. Dr. Bixby is the principal investigator on the awarded project. “The EPISEEK-MPE liquid biopsy test could improve the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions and assist with patient care,” she added.
“Earning this SBIR Phase II grant is an important milestone for our Precision Epigenomics team. We are grateful to NIH reviewers, our collaborators and, most importantly, to the patients who have helped develop EPISEEK-MPE for the evaluation of pleural effusion for cancer,” said Richard Bernert, MD, COO of Precision Epigenomics.
About Precision Epigenomics
Precision Epigenomics Inc. (https://precision-epigenomics.com/) is an innovative molecular diagnostic testing service focused on improving cancer patients’ diagnosis, management, and treatment. The company is known for its knowledgeable staff, commitment to patient care, and absolute dedication to quality.
Precision Epigenomics Contact
Jen Gallacher
jen.gallacher@fullcast.com
385-335-8791
About NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. For more than a century, NIH scientists and supported scientists have paved the way for important discoveries that improve health and save lives.