NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Bioinformatics company Eureka Genomics has reeled in a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the Department of Homeland Security to continue to develop tools to detect rare variants of the anthrax pathogen Bacillus anthracis.
Houston-based Eureka is a private firm that develops next-generation sequencing analysis tools for use in discovering microorganisms associated with disease. It also provides sequencing and analysis services.
"The ability to detect the presence of rare variants (either known or previously uncharacterized) in cell populations (viral, bacterial, and eukaryotic) could lead to significant improvements in the ability to fingerprint a sample and, as a consequence, provide vital information for the investigation and prosecution of bioterrorism attacks or attempts," Eureka Director of Bioinformatics Viacheslav Fofanov said in a statement.
The company also said that it is working on identifying microorganisms associated with colorectal cancer through a collaboration with Baylor Research Institute, and the identification of microorganisms associated with preterm birth.