Scott Nicholas
Baltimore, Maryland-based biotechnology company PapGene has secured a potential $2.2 million contract from a National Institutes of Health center to study and commercialize a recurrent bladder cancer surveillance test.
PapGene said Tuesday it will receive $299,824 funds from NIH’s National Cancer Institute under the first phase of the Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research contract to demonstrate the accuracy and clinical validity of the company’s molecular test.
Under phase 2, NCI will provide nearly $1.9 million to help the company examine the test’s clinical utility and pursue regulatory approval of the testing method.
“Due to the high rate of recurrence, bladder cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to manage on a per-patient basis,” says Howie Kaufman, CEO of PapGene.
“The development of a noninvasive molecular test for recurrent bladder cancer surveillance has transformative potential in improving patient outcomes while decreasing cost of care.”
PapGene’s method uses a genetic cytology approach to identify recurrent bladder cancer through routinely collected patient urine specimens.
