On June29, 2016 BioMarker Strategies reported that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded the Company a Phase I/II Fast Track Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant to develop PathMAP NSCLC, a pathway-based companion diagnostic test to facilitate the selection of optimal therapy for individual patients with non-small cell lung cancer (Press release, BioMarker Strategies, JUN 29, 2016, View Source [SID:1234513621]). The two-year $2 million Phase II grant will begin after predetermined milestones are achieved under a 6-month $300,000 Phase I grant that is now underway.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"Targeted therapies now exist, including the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib, that can help patients with non-small cell lung cancer keep their cancer in check"

"Targeted therapies now exist, including the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib, that can help patients with non-small cell lung cancer keep their cancer in check," said Jerry Parrott, President and CEO of BioMarker Strategies. "The challenge is to determine which individual patients are most likely to benefit from which therapy or combination of therapies. PathMAP is a pathway-based companion diagnostic assay that uses a patient’s live tumor cells to provide better information, including patient resistance to therapy, to support targeted therapy selection for individual patients with solid tumor cancers."

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with an estimated 158,040 deaths in 2015. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is responsible for 83% of these deaths.