The technology is based on research at University of Maryland, Baltimore and University of Maryland, College Park.
University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and University of Maryland, College Park have granted US-based biotech startup Cellth Systems exclusive licensing rights for the commercial development of a cancer treatment technology.
Molecular diagnostics firm Cellth has developed cell-tethering technology used for real-time analysis of circulating tumour cells (CTCs).
When CTCs appear in the blood of people with cancer it can be an early indication of the pace the disease may spread and is often linked to survival rate.
Previously there was believed to be no technology that would identify how CTCs responded to drug treatment.
Stuart Martin, co-inventor of the technology and professor in the Department of Physiology and Program in Oncology at University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, said: “Cellth’s technology tethers cells in minutes, permitting immediate, detailed, quantitative, real-time examination.
“There is no need for cells to grow or express proteins, avoiding the traditional weeks-to-months-long cell growth process and yielding a drug-response study within an hour.”
Meanwhile, Cellth also received a $150,000 award from the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) program run by Maryland state-backed technology transfer office Maryland Technology Development Corporation (Tecdo).
Richard Hughen, chief executive at Cellth, said: “The Tedco-MII award to advance the device toward commercialisation gives Cellth a strong vote of confidence.
“This device will deliver highly actionable information that directly benefits individuals with cancer.”
