Early lung cancer test gains R&D (research and development) grant:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Canada's DiagnoCure and Israel's Compugen have received a cash boost to support their joint project to develop a nucleic acid probe-based diagnostic kit for the early detection of lung cancer. The Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation, which promotes collaborative R&D between firms in both countries, has awarded the firms Can $800,000 ($502,000). The lung cancer test will combine Tel Aviv-based Compugen's capabilities in identifying novel disease markers and predicting their utility with Quebec City based DiagnoCure's expertise in developing, manufacturing and commercialising molecular diagnostic assays. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, says DiagnoCure. About 1.3 million cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year. In the US alone, it is estimated that more than 170,000 individuals were diagnosed with lung cancer and 158,000 died from the disease in 2001.