DiaCarta, Inc., Awarded $2 Million NCI Contract to Pursue Regulatory Approval of Innovative Cancer Radiation Response Blood Test
DIACARTA, Inc., a precision diagnostic company and leading developer of products for nucleic acid-based detection assays, announced today that it has received a $2 million National Cancer Institute (NCI) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to continue development of its RadTox™ cfDNA radiation therapy toxicity monitoring test kit for cancer patients.
While radiation is required by 70
“This will be a breakthrough ‘first-in-class’ IVD test in the field of radiation therapy and one of the first cfDNA tests to be supported by the NCI for real-time detection of normal tissue responses to radiation,” commented Aiguo Zhang, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of DiaCarta, Inc. “We are therefore delighted to have been awarded this contract following successful completion of the $300,000 SBIR Phase I contract in June of this year.”
DiaCarta’s RadTox™ cfDNA Test, a platform diagnostic that monitors circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in patient plasma during radiation therapy, runs on either luminometers or bead-based instrumentation found in many clinical reference laboratories and testing
DiaCarta has been invited to present RadTox™ cfDNA Test at the BIO Investor Forum in San Francisco on October 17-18, 2018, as part of the company’s commitment to a partnering and co-development strategy for the program.
“We are fulfilling an unmet medical need in cancer radiation therapy by enabling the direct monitoring of side effect severity and
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
Super branched DNA (SuperbDNA™) hybridization technology is a widely used signal amplification clinical platform to quantitatively detect specific nucleic acid sequences directly from the source without the need for DNA/RNA purification or RT-PCR. With a wide dynamic range, bDNA is sensitive enough to reliably detect very few target molecules using DiaCarta’s kits and reagents formatted on a luminometer or bead-based platform. DiaCarta’s SuperbDNA™ technology offers sensitivity for detection of over 4,000 target genes.
ABOUT DIACARTA
DiaCarta, a translational genomics and personalized diagnostics company based in Richmond, California, was established in 2011 to provide highly sensitive and advanced technologies that will improve the way molecular diagnostics and translational genomics impact healthcare treatment plans and the well-being of individuals around the world. DiaCarta offers a range of testing services, from single-gene QClamp® qPCR tests to its OptiSeq™ XNA-NGS panels. The company is well positioned as a leader in the new ‘liquid biopsy’ IVD (in vitro diagnostic) field with high-precision detection of cfDNA. DiaCarta is ISO13485 certified and manufactures IVD kits under
DiaCarta Expands Board Leadership with Industry Veteran
DiaCarta Inc., a precision molecular diagnostics company and leading developer of novel oncology tests using liquid biopsy, today announced the appointment of Jack Kaye, retired Partner with Deloitte LLP, as an independent board member who will serve as the Chairman of the Company’s Audit Committee.
DiaCarta Enters a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to Develop Cancer Tests based on its Novel XNA Technology
DiaCarta Inc., a precision molecular diagnostics company and leading developer of novel oncology tests using liquid biopsy today announced that the company, under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, will collaborate on the evaluation and development of DiaCarta’s proprietary xeno-nucleic acid (XNA) molecular clamping technology. NCI and DiaCarta will collaborate on the following projects: (1) the investigation of low frequency mutation events in cancers and rare diseases using DiaCarta’s proprietary xeno-nucleic acid (XNA) molecular clamping technology, and (2) the development of XNA probes for in situ cancer cell detection. The duration of the CRADA will be 2 years from the effective start date.
DiaCarta’s Multivariant COVID-19 Test Accurately Detects the Omicron Variant
DiaCarta Inc., a precision molecular diagnostics company and leading developer of novel oncology tests using liquid biopsy announced today that the company has developed a novel test to detect the newest COVID-19 Omicron variant, based on its proprietary XNA technology.
DiaCarta and the Scientific World Mourns the Passing of CSO, Michael J. Powell, Ph.D.
DiaCarta Inc., a precision molecular diagnostics company and leading developer of novel virology and oncology tests, mourns the passing of Michael “Mike” J. Powell, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of DiaCarta.
DiaCarta Receives CE/IVD for its New COVID 19 Test that Identifies Delta Plus and New Variants
DiaCarta Inc., a precision molecular diagnostics company and leading developer of novel oncology tests using liquid biopsy today announced that its new QuantiVirus™ SARS-CoV-2 Variant Detection Test received the CE/IVD marking and therefore, can now be commercialized within the EU and rest of the world. This new test screens for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and simultaneously identifies and differentiates all the new mutating COVID 19 variants including the Alpha (UK), Beta (S. Africa), Gamma (Brazil), Delta (India), Delta Plus (India), Epsilon (California) and the Kappa (India) variants.