OncoTAb, Inc. announced that the company was named as a recipient of a $300,000 grant by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to begin pre-clinical development of a targeted therapy for triple negative breast cancer. The company will use the funds to also continue its development of its patented antibody for therapeutic use in humans.
The National Cancer Institute is under the larger umbrella of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The grant is part of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract
OncoTAb co-founder and CEO Rahul Puri said of the award, “This has been an exciting year for OncoTAb. In addition to this award, we received another grant from the NCI and a matching award from the state of North Carolina, bringing our total federal and state funding for 2016 to over $530,000. These are extremely competitive awards and the proposed research was thoroughly scrutinized for scientific and commercialization potential. This funding allows us to build on our achievements and continue developing the next generation of life-saving treatments for breast cancer.”
OncoTAb’s technology, protected via patent, focuses on addressing unmet cancer diagnosis and treatment needs. Specifically, the company has developed a blood test, called the Agkura Personal Score, to be used in the early detection of breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue whose cancers are missed 50% of the time. Beyond breast cancer, the company is also involved in research aimed at treating pancreatic cancer.
For more information, visit the company’s website.