Technology
The CyPath® assay is based upon Biomoda’s patent estate centered on molecular marker technology originally developed at Los Alamos National Labs. TCPP (5,10,15, 20-Tetrakis (Carboxyphenyl) Porphine), a synthetically manufactured porphyrin, is the active ingredient and the basis of CyPath®.
The CyPath labeling solution binds to cancerous and pre-cancerous cells in tissue samples and causes them to fluoresce red under ultraviolet light.
The Biomoda technology’s first application is for early detection of lung cancer. Deep-lung sputum samples collected from the patient over a three-day period are analyzed in the Biomoda lab with the CyPath® labeling solution. At the lab, a monolayer of the patient’s cells extracted from the sputum is processed on a microscope slide. The slide is immersed in the TCPP labeling solution which binds to the plasma membrane and coats the cancer cell surface. Viewed under an ultraviolet microscope fitted with a special filter, the slide is checked for the presence of fluorescing red cells and other cellular metrics through computer computational analysis.
Biomoda has targeted similar assays for cervical, breast, colorectal, bladder, circulating tumor cell (CTC) and oral cancers for development.
The technology can also be developed to monitor the development of disease and determine the efficacy of treatment protocols for various cancers.