Biomarker Discovery and Development

Colon Cancer (CC) Biomarkers

Market Potential

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.  Over $15 billion dollars is spent annually in the the United States for the detection and treatment of colorectal cancer.  In 2008, it was estimated that greater than 148,000 new cases of CRC are diagnosed every year, making it the third most common cause of malignancy in the U.S. While early stage disease can be cured with multimodality therapies, the majority of patients present with Stage III or IV disease. The prognosis for all patients with advanced CRC is generally poor with over 49,000 deaths anticipated in the United States this year, second only to lung cancer. Currently, no specific biomarker exists to aid in diagnosis or management of CRC.

AlfaGene has the ability to create a system of paired adult stem and epithelial cells derived from both tumor-initiating stem cells and their unaffected normal counterpart from the GI tract of any individual suffering CRC. This enables AlfaGene to directly compare and identify cellular, molecular, and genetic differences between tumorogenic and normal colonic cells (biomarker discovery). It also enables AlfaGene to provide a unique superior cellular platform for CRC drug discovery & testing with previously unattainable accuracy, relevancy, and reproducibility, as well as, reduce variation and background than previous methods.  Furthermore, AlfaGene can supply nonimmunogenic personalized stem cell therapy to CRC patients by utilizing stem cells isolated from the very patient undergoing CRC therapeutic treatment.