COVARIS, INC. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many samples taken from individuals and animals are s
COVARIS, INC. — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Health and Human Services.
- Amount
- $163,644
- Agency
- Department of Health and Human Services · National Institutes of Health
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Solicitation
- PA14-071
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- MA
- Period
- —
Description
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many samples taken from individuals and animals are stored by treating them with chemical, formalin, and then encasing them in paraffin or wax; these are called formalin fixed paraffin encased (FFPE) samples. Usually this storage is very good for preserving them for observation under microscopes, but it presents some problems in terms of analysis of their DNA. Genetic analyses are important because many of these preserved samples are biopsies of cancer tissue, and cancers are diseases brought on by changes in the DNA. By understanding the genetic content of these samples, we can look for specific DNA sequences that can be used to diagnose cancer. We can also use the information in these samples to determine what therapiesmight work best, and to measure how well the therapies applied are working. There are some instruments and kits of reagents available for getting at the DNA in FFPE samples, but they are usually complicated. Often they use dangerous chemicals. They