Cancer diagnostics company Biomoda, Inc. (OTCBB: BMOD) (www.biomoda.com) filed an application for a new U.S. Patent that refines the use of fluorescent microscopy to increase the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the CyPath® diagnostic assay for lung cancer.
"This patent is based on a proprietary solid-state, diode-based light source for fluorescent microscopy that will improve our ability to differentiate between cancer cells and the so-called debris and artifacts found at the cellular level in tissue and body samples," Biomoda President John Cousins said. "By stabilizing the excitation mechanism and reducing variations in the way we measure photonic emissions from cells, this invention simultaneously increases our accuracy and reduces costs associated with the current technology."
The porphyrin-based CyPath® assay binds to cancer cells and causes them to fluoresce under specific frequencies of light. The pilot clinical study concluded in March 2011 demonstrated that CyPath® is a significant new biomarker for lung cancer.
"This technical breakthrough is the result of our optimization studies to improve the sensitivity and specificity of our assay," Biomoda CEO Maria Zannes said. "Biomoda's intellectual property is our core asset, and we expect to continue to build our patent portfolio with innovations like this one."
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