NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Epigenomics said today that it will receive a two-year, €2.8 million ($3.1 million) EU grant to fund clinical research to validate the company's lung cancer biomarkers.
The grant will be administered through the Industrial Leadership pillar of the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program for Small and Medium Enterprise Businesses.
The ultimate goal of Epigenomics' project is to develop a CE-marked product to detect lung cancer in blood plasma, the company said.
"With our Epi proLung test we have already proven that new and innovative diagnostic tests can make a difference in the detection of lung cancer," Epigenomics Chief Operating Officer Uwe Staub said in a statement. "With this new project, we will clinically validate a novel CE-marked diagnostic product that can detect lung cancer in blood plasma at an early stage and has a variety of possible future clinical applications in the diagnosis of lung cancer."
Epigenomics markets the Epi proLung tissue-based assay for lung cancer diagnosis in Europe. In addition, Epi proColon, the company's blood-based test for the early detection of colorectal cancer, is currently marketed in Europe, has received approval from the Chinese Food and Drug Administration, and is under regulatory review by the US Food and Drug Administration.