ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 16, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tech) will present data from Biomoda, Inc. (OTCBB:BMOD) on its non-invasive, inexpensive and accurate diagnostic test for the early detection of lung cancer at the 13th World Conference on Lung Cancer in San Francisco, CA, July 31 to August 4, 2009.
NM Tech and two affiliated entities, the Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis (ICASA) and the Computational Analysis and Network Enterprise Solutions, LLC (CAaNES), are working with Albuquerque-based medical diagnostics company Biomoda, Inc. on the patented assay for early detection of cancer.
Dr. Srinivas Mukkamala, a senior research scientist with ICASA, will present an abstract titled "Non-Intrusive and Extremely Early Detection of Lung Cancer Using TCPP (Biomoda Lab Cultured Lung Cancer Data)," in poster format to the 7,000 lung cancer professionals expected to attend the conference. TCPP, or meso-tetra (4 carboxyphenyl) porphine, is the chemical compound underlying Biomoda's patented diagnostic assay.
Currently in Phase II clinical trials, Biomoda's diagnostic is a porphyrin application that preferentially binds to cancerous or aberrant cells extracted from deep lung sputum samples. Cancerous cells treated with Biomoda's patented CyPath(tm) labeling solution fluoresce red under ultraviolet light.
Mukkamala's presentation at the World Conference on Lung Cancer will focus on the computer modeling and data analysis work ICASA and CAaNES have done with Biomoda's images and data. "Our work will allow Biomoda to automate the screening process, which is a critical step toward making the diagnostic available to large populations," Mukkamala said. "The computer modeling will also enhance the accuracy of the assay."
"The opportunity to present the Biomoda technology to the top clinicians and scientists in our field is a big step forward for us," said John Cousins, Biomoda President and CEO. "Since only 16 percent of lung cancers today are diagnosed early enough to be cured, this audience will understand the tremendous life-saving potential of an easy, non-invasive, inexpensive and, above all, accurate screening tool for lung cancer."
Sponsored by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the World Conference on Lung Cancer is one of the largest international gatherings of professionals in the field, focusing on both research science and advances in the treatment of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.