SANTA FE, N.M., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Cousins, President of Biomoda, Inc. (http://www.biomoda.com) of Albuquerque, NM, testified Monday before the New Mexico State Legislature's Interim Tobacco Settlement Committee in support of the lawmakers' $1.3 million proposal for funding a clinical study using the company's assay for early lung cancer detection.
The New Mexico legislature last year appropriated $350,000 to fund a clinical study that will begin later this year to screen veterans for lung cancer at its earliest stages. If approved, the $1.3 million funding proposal for 2008 would be a continuation of existing funding for the clinical study and will be considered during the state's 30-day legislative session beginning January 15, 2008.
"Members of the Tobacco Settlement Committee are at the forefront of funding essential studies to develop a nationwide screening protocol for lung cancer that ultimately will result in saving millions of lives," said Cousins. "We look forward to being part of this breakthrough effort and we are thrilled to be helping our veterans in this process. The men and women who served our country deserve the very best healthcare. This clinical work will provide just that."
Doug Craft, President of the Black Veterans Association of New Mexico, testified in support of Biomoda's efforts. "We are grateful for this opportunity and plan to work very hard to let our brothers and sisters who served in the military learn about, and be part of, this important opportunity that not only will further essential research, but also save lives."
Biomoda's technology is based on a patented porphyrin application that preferentially binds to cancerous or aberrant cells extracted from lung sputum samples. Cancerous cells glow red under fluorescent light to allow detection under a microscope. The patented technology, a non-invasive cytology based assay, is designed for cancer screening of large populations at a reasonable cost. Current diagnostic methods for lung cancer, including CT scans and X-rays, often detect the disease only at more advanced stages and are relatively expensive.
Lung cancer claims more lives than any other cancer. The expected 5-year survival rate for all patients combined in whom lung cancer is diagnosed is 15 percent and by contrast, the 5-year survival rate for cases detected when the disease is still localized is 50 percent. At the present time, only 16 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at this early stage.
Contact: John Cousins (505) 821-0875
CONTACT: John Cousins of Biomoda, Inc., +1-505-821-0875
Web site: http://www.biomoda.com/
