MOLECULAR TARGETING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: NCI

Description

Most ovarian cancer is not diagnosed until the disease has reached an advanced stage because the early stage disease is typically non symptomaticWhen diagnosedextensive intra abdominal metastases have often developed in the peritoneumStandard treatment includes a surgical cytoreduction to remove the bulk tumor and a follow up platinum based chemotherapy regimenDespite the successful primary treatmentunfortunatelyof women will experience recurrence of tumorsDuring the procedureif all cancerous tissues could be removedthe chance of having an extended disease free period or even a cure is highHoweversome cancerous tissues are not apparent to naked eye surveillancehence the surgical outcome can varyA sensitive and specific dye which could highlight the micro cancerous tissues would be extremely helpful in minimizing the undesired oversight of leaving cancerous tissue behind and result in a better outcomeIn this applicationbased on our recent findingwe are proposing to develop a sprayableprompt color changing agent to highlight cancerous tissues with claritysensitivityand specificityThe key component of the proposed cancer highlighter is a fluorogenic near infrared sensitive dyewhich is non fluorescent in normal tissues but is instantly brightly fluorescent when it is absorbed by the cancer tissuesThe cancer selective staining capability of this product will make the surgical procedure precise and effectiveas well as make the early identification of recurrence possible Project Narrative A sprayablefast actingsensitive and specific fluorogenic near infrared dye which can highlight the microovarian cancer tissues will be developed to make the surgical procedure precise and effectiveas well as make the early identification of recurrence possible