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Genalyte Awarded $1M SBIR Grant to Develop Cancer Biomarker Panel

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Cancer Institute has awarded Genalyte a $1 million Small Business Innovation Research grant to develop a biomarker panel to profile tumor antigen-associated antibodies, Genalyte said today.

According to the San Diego-based firm, the envisioned panel will run on Genalyte's multiplexed Maverick Detection System, which uses a silicon chip containing arrays of photonic ring sensors for the detection of multiple antibodies and other proteins from a single small sample.

The firm said that it will work with researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Providence Cancer Center, and Wayne State University to select and validate the biomarkers for the panel.

Martin Gleeson, chief scientific officer of Genalyte, said that the grant will enable the six-year-old company to assemble "high priority immune system-associated biomarkers into a panel with the aim of providing true detection value with enhanced specificity to researchers and ultimately clinicians and patients."

In a statement, the company noted that TAA autoantibodies have "demonstrated the potential to detect cancer early, when the chances for successful treatment are greatest." Genalyte said its goal is to bring an automated, blood-based test to market.
Genalyte last year received a $500,000 SBIR grant to develop a test for diabetes, and in August it said that it was collaborating with researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine to develop multiplexed antigen panels for the detection of type 1 diabetes.

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