NanoSort, Inc. Awarded Nearly $500k from the NCI to Advance the Detection and Capturing of Circulating Tumor Cells Using Two Distinct Novel Approaches

San Diego, CA, September 30, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The National Cancer Institute (NCI), has awarded biomedical device start-up NanoSort, Inc. a 2 year, $297,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant and a 9-month, $198,000 contract. NanoSort will develop devices to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs)—an emerging target in cancer diagnostics— using two novel approaches. NanoSort applies lab-on-a-chip technologies to drastically reduce the size and cost of flow cytometers while maintaining high performance.

NCI has contracted NanoSort to leverage their lab-on-a-chip technology to develop a multistage system for auto-labeling and capturing rare circulating tumor cells in the blood stream. “CTC detection and capture allows for better screening and assessment of cancer,” said Dr. Jose Morachis, CEO of NanoSort. “Furthermore, downstream analysis such as next-gen sequencing can be applied to the captured cells. NanoSort’s microfluidic platform aims to improve cancer cell diagnostics and decrease medical costs.”

NanoSort’s two-year Phase I SBIR award, also from the NCI, consists of collaborations with Dr. Clodagh O’Shea from the Salk Institute and Dr. Lyudmila Bazhenova from the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD. Together, they aim to develop a diagnostic platform that will combine cutting-edge viral tools with microfluidic flow cytometry to create an affordable CTC detection device for point-of-care or central lab settings.

Nanosort, Inc. is a development-stage biomedical device company focused on building innovative flow cytometry technologies for the research, drug discovery, and diagnostic markets.

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