ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 9, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 400 New Mexico veterans have volunteered to participate in a screening program for the early detection of lung cancer based on a non-invasive diagnostic tool developed by Biomoda, Inc. (OTCBB:BMOD) and trademarked under the name CyPath(tm).
"The value of a study like this is two-fold," said John Cousins, Biomoda President and CEO. "We are literally saving lives by identifying early-stage lung cancer in asymptomatic patients at the same time we are gathering the necessary data to receive FDA approval and move the diagnostic into the marketplace."
Cousins reported that preliminary results of the screening program are trending in a positive direction, and several patients have already been referred for medical follow up.
Biomoda expects to screen at least 3,500 participants in multiple sites over the course of the study. The initial focus is on veterans because they are 25 percent more likely to develop the disease and die from it than the general population. Funded by the New Mexico State Legislature and administered by the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services, "this study puts a spotlight on one of the most serious health issues facing the men and women who serve in uniform," Cousins said. "Veterans we meet through our recruiting outreach are really appreciative of the opportunity to participate, to find out early if they have cancer or a pre-cancerous condition when there is still time for successful treatment and recovery."
Unlike other diagnostics, the Biomoda assay is designed for routine screening of large populations at a reasonable cost and high accuracy. Under the guidance of a respiratory therapist, study volunteers provide a deep-lung sputum sample that is tested for cancer cells in the Biomoda lab. Results are compared to a computed tomography (CT) scan, currently the standard of care for detection of lung cancer, and sputum PAP stains read by leading cytopathologists who are participating in the study as medical partners.
Biomoda's non-invasive diagnostic is based on a patented porphyrin application originally developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory that preferentially binds to cancerous or aberrant cells extracted from lung sputum samples and causes them to fluoresce red under ultraviolet light.