NCI Awards Grant for Development of System to Preserve Tumor Biopsies

Arizona Company to Develop Biopsy Device Designed to Accelerate Cancer Research; Device Will Help Researchers Preserve Molecular Profile in Tumor Biopsies

TEMPE, Ariz.  - Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies (PADT), an Arizona company, has received a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant to develop a system to preserve tumor biopsies. Presently, clinicians have limited methods – such as monitoring tumor size – to evaluate the effectiveness of various therapies. PADT’s new device will allow researchers to preserve a snapshot of the tumor biology nearly as it exists “in-vivo” – inside the body. These snapshots, taken over time, will enable researchers to more directly evaluate treatment efficacy.

“Each tumor is unique and understanding the specific molecular components within an individual tumor – and how those components interact at different phases of growth – is critical to guiding drug development and selecting the appropriate therapy,” according to Dr. Amanda Baker from the Arizona Cancer Center (AZCC). Unfortunately, biopsied material can decay within minutes after removal from the body – thus destroying the precise biological data that researchers need.

PADT’s device will mitigate this decay problem and allow researchers to collect and “fixate”, or preserve, the sample immediately and automatically. “The device provides consistency”, stated engineering manager Scott Klopfenstein. “Our challenge is to develop a system that integrates well with existing biopsy procedures and provides researchers with an easy way to consistently and automatically preserve the molecular profile in sampled tumors.” By collecting these snapshots as a tumor progresses and correlating the measured profiles with various drug therapies, adjustments to drug formulations and therapies can be made to greatly enhance our ability to combat cancer.

PADT is funding this effort initially with a $250,000 grant provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and roughly $50,000 of its own IR&D funding. PADT will lead the effort but will work closely with collaborators at the Arizona Cancer Center (AZCC, http://www.azcc.arizona.edu) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN, http://www.tgen.org). PADT has been in business since 1994 and helps commercialize new medical devices and biotechnologies (www.padtmedical.com).

Source: Arizona Department of Commerce

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