ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 27, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biomoda, Inc. (OTCBB:BMOD), an Albuquerque-based early cancer detection medical diagnostics company, has filed a new patent on a quantitative method for reading tissue samples for signs of malignant tumor cells, bringing the company's U.S. patent portfolio to four total patents issued or pending.
Biomoda's diagnostic for the early detection of various cancers is based on meso-tetra (4 carboxyphenyl) porphine or TCPP, a patented porphyrin compound that binds to cancer cells and fluoresces red under ultraviolet light. The new patent provides a system for verifying the spectral signature of TCPP optically and measuring the photon emission rate of TCPP labeled cancerous and precancerous cells.
"Until now, TCPP-labeled tissue samples have required the trained eye of a cytopathologist to determine whether there is cancer present," said John Cousins, Biomoda president and chief executive officer. "This system gives us a measurable, quantitative way to make that determination based on a scientific phenomenon, the photon energy emission from each cell."
Biomoda's first product, an in-vitro test for the early detection of lung cancer, is currently in clinical trials. Under the guidance of a respiratory therapist, study volunteers provide a deep-lung sputum sample that is screened for cancer cells in the Biomoda lab under the protocol described in the new patent.
Titled "System and Method for Analyzing Samples Labeled with 5, 10, 15, 20 Tetrakis (4-Carboxyphenyl) Porphine (TCPP)," the patent builds on the science underlying Biomoda's cytology-based diagnostic. Originally developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and trademarked under the names CyPath(r) and CyDx(r), the TCPP platform is the foundation for several Biomoda product lines and medical tools still in the developmental stage.
Cousins said, "This patent represents a giant step forward in terms of making our cancer diagnostic available to large populations because trained technicians anywhere in the world will be able to process tissue samples accurately and inexpensively."
In addition to the new U.S. patent, Biomoda was recently awarded patents for its proprietary technology in Japan and Australia.