GeneFluidics Awarded $142,000 Subcontract for the Early
Detection of Ovarian Cancer
MONTEREY PARK, CA - (PRWeb) - March 18, 2004 - The University
of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has awarded GeneFluidics a
two-year, $142,000 subcontract to investigate the
applicability of the Company's molecular analysis platform for
the early detection of ovarian cancer. Said research is part
of a larger grant to the University from the Early Detection
Research Network of the National Cancer Institute to identify
and validate a low-sample volume, user-friendly, multi-assay
molecular analysis platform for early-stage cancer discovery.
Ovarian cancer affects over 25,000 women in the United States
every year, killing 16,000. This high mortality rate is
partially due to the disease's typically late diagnosis. While
various molecular techniques have been investigated for
ovarian cancer's early detection, no technique has yet
clinically demonstrated the avoidance of large sample volumes
and exhaustive sample preparation. GeneFluidics' platform
requires only microliter volumes of raw samples, while the
Company's microfluidic cartridges completely automate sample
preparation for "plug and play" use.
"GeneFluidics' technologies show great promise in early-stage
cancer detection," stated Dr. David Chia of UCLA's
Immunogenetics Center. "Demonstrating the clinical
significance of a cancer screen requires the analysis of
thousands of samples, both from early stage cancer and
non-cancer patients. Collecting and analyzing these samples is
very expensive and labor intensive -- the GeneFluidics
platform could provide a practical solution."
Dr. Vincent Gau, GeneFluidics' CEO and CTO agrees. "Dr. Chia
surveyed the available technologies for the clinical
validation of ovarian cancer screening, but saw GeneFluidics'
platform as that holding the most promise. We look forward to
demonstrating our platform's capability in ovarian cancer
screening."
About GeneFluidics:
GeneFluidics is commercializing a novel molecular analysis
platform that integrates bionanotechnology and microfluidics.
The platform has two distinct yet synergistic components -
electrochemical detection, embodied in a multichannel reader
and plastic sensor chips, and automated sample preparation,
embodied in microfluidic cartridges and associated reader
fluidic controls. By integrating these components, the
platform enables the rapid detection and quantification of
genetic material, proteins, and small molecules in raw samples
without the use of target amplification methods such as PCR.
CONTACT:
Vincent Gau
CEO
2540 Corporate Place, Suite B101
Monterey Park, CA 91754
323-269-0900
