Biotraces has
developed a new blood test that can detect breast cancer at its
earliest stage,
before the appearance of any physical symptoms.
The test has been shown to be
approximately 1000 times more
sensitive than existing diagnostic methods and is able to
correctly
detect the disease in 97 percent of cases. The test can also be
modified to detect other
forms of epithelial cancer, including
skin, prostate and ovarian.
Biotraces’
unique platform utilizes an improved radioactive tracer detection
system
originally developed for cosmology. The instrument detects
decay products of radioactive
isotopes incorporated into target
molecules using a novel multi-photon detector (MPD)
that
overcomes the problem of background noise. The coupling of the MPD to
a
sandwich immunoassay is what enables the company to perform its
ultra-sensitive
immunoassays, which are over 500 times more
sensitive than conventional
immunoassays.
Biotraces’
success is based largely on support from government agencies,
including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of
Health and the Department of Energy. The company has already secured
over $1 million in venture funding and its recent results position it
favorably for raising additional capital.
