September 29, 2019

The National Institute for Minority Health and Disparities awards a $1.7M Fast-Track Phase 1/Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research grant to LifeGene-Biomarks, Inc. for the project titled: Precision methylation biomarkers linked to cancer disparities.

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the commercialization feasibility of the CervicalMethDx Test, a precision methylation solution for the cervical cancer screening space. We will focus on patients with persistent oncogenic Human Papilloma Virus (HPV+) infection and cervical dysplasia, who are referred into colposcopy and subsequent biopsy, even when most will have a normal biopsy. Triage into colposcopy will decrease unnecessary biopsies and improve health care quality, particularly among low-income Latina and African American women who have a higher burden of cervical cancer in the United States.