Intus Biosciences lands $2.7M NCI grant for microbiome cancer test
What's the deal? Intus BiosciencesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured a $2.7 million Fast-Track award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to develop a non-invasive screening test for early-onset colorectal cancer. The Meriden-based company will use high-resolution bacterial microbiome data to detect the disease earlier.
Why now? Colorectal cancer is rising about 3% each year among people under 50. Because screening guidelines recommend first tests at age 45, many younger adults go undiagnosed until symptoms appear and the cancer has progressed.
What's the endgame? The grant funds Intus Bio's Titan-1 platform, which uses DNA sequencing to find bacterial biomarkers tied to colorectal cancer. The team aims to identify bacterial sequences that serve as markers for early detection, screening, and risk assessment — including spotting precancerous lesions.
The company is working with cancer researchers including Dr. Cynthia Sears of Johns Hopkins UniversityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, plus experts from Harvard Medical SchoolDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical CenterDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Vanderbilt University Medical CenterDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What they're saying: "This marks a major milestone in our goal to elevate the microbiome's role in healthcare," said chief executive officer and co-founder Paul Denslow. Chief scientific officer and principal investigator Mark Driscoll said the work could pave the way for "an entirely new class of diagnostics."
The signal: The award sits in the top quartile for grants of its kind, a sign of NCI confidence in microbiome-based diagnostics. As colorectal cancer strains health systems, non-invasive detection is drawing more research funding.
Read more: third-news.com
Image credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
