News

Mirari Biosciences Receives Grant From The National Cancer Institute To Develop MASCTM Technology for Cancer Diagnosis

Rockville, MD - July 1, 2003 - Mirari Biosciences received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $270,000 from the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, MD). The grant enables Mirari to apply its novel microwave-based detection method Microwave-Accelerated Surface Chemistry^TM (MASC^TM) to the detection of growth factors in cancer. There is an urgent need for better and faster methods for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. MASC^TM can be used to simultaneously detect many cancer proteins on a "chip" the size of a stick of gum. The technology uses low power microwaves to causes the cancer proteins to emit light in a process called chemiluminescence, allowing the proteins to be rapidly and sensitively measured. The investigation may lead to rapid diagnostic and prognostic tests useful in the treatment of cancer and many other serious diseases.