Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men, with about 200,000 men diagnosed yearly and an approximately 10% death rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Furthermore, prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among men of all races and Hispanic origin populations.
Of paramount importance to the successful treatment of prostate cancer is early detection, the science of which has recently gotten a boost in the form of recent grants given to Washington State University.
Thanks to a two-year $2 million federal Small Business Innovation Research grant, Cliff Berkman, professor of chemistry at WSU and CTT chief scientific officer, will develop his recently-discovered imaging agent that identifies prostate cancer.
“Prostate cancer desperately needs a new means of diagnosis that removes ambiguity and offers men informed treatment options,” said Beatrice Langton-Webster, principal investigator on the grant and chief executive officer of Cancer Targeted Technology (CTT), a privately held Seattle-based biotechnology firm that will develop the agent, CTT1057.
According to a university press release, CTT1057 is a small molecule that locates and binds to certain antigens present in prostate cancer, and can be combined with chemotherapies for localized treatment.
In addition to this funding, development projects for the CTT imaging molecule have received grants from the Life Sciences Discovery Fund, and has recently been approved to start clinical trials, which will occur in conjunction with research at the University of California, San Francisco toward the end of 2015.
“We believe that this important agent will improve the availability and efficacy of imaging for prostate cancer diagnosis, staging and treatment monitoring,” said Henry VanBrocklin, professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at UC San Francisco.
Researchers at Washington State University are among the most active in the state in the fields of neurology, cancer research, infectious disease, physiology, and a host of other life science disciplines.
As a leading research university, WSU is highly subsidized with federal, state and private grants to fund important research.
Recent funding statistics from Washington State University:
- WSU spent $341.1 million on R&D expenditures in 2013
- WSU is ranked 11th nationally for R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences
- WSU received $20.3 million in National Institutes of Health funding in 2014
- $52.9 million funding is being awarded through the 2013-15 Capital Budget Proposed Substitute House Bill 1089 for the Clean Technology Laboratory at Washington State University.
With ongoing research projects receiving million of dollars in grants and private funding, it’s not surprising that Washington State University is considered the premier marketplace for lab supplies and biotechnology in the State of Washington.
Hundreds of active scientists and researchers from WSU will be looking for new biotech, lab equipment and supplies this year, and they will be looking for them at the 16th Annual BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at Washington State University on October 14, 2015.
This annual event is hosted by Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. and is the most popular gathering of researchers and lab suppliers in the area. Last year, the BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at Washington State University attracted 230 attendees, including 28 purchasing agents, professors and post docs, and 27 lab managers from 23 different research buildings and 30 on-campus departments.
For more information about attending this free event as a researcher, or to promote your products in this lucrative marketplace, click the appropriate link below:
