Mountain View, CA – Cordance Medical, an innovative leader in non-invasive medical technologies focused on brain disease treatment, is proud to announce it has been awarded a prestigious Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This award will support Cordance’s groundbreaking research into optimizing non-invasive focused ultrasound (FUS) technology for brain tumor liquid biopsy, using a rat glioma model.
The grant, awarded under the project titled “Optimizing non-invasive focused ultrasound for brain tumor liquid biopsy in a rat glioma model – Phase I”, underscores the significance of Cordance’s approach to improving diagnostic capabilities for brain tumors. Principal Investigator, Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthy, CTO of Cordance Medical, leads the research effort aimed at refining the use of FUS to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) safely and temporarily, allowing critical tumor biomarkers to enter the bloodstream for easier and earlier detection.
“We are thrilled to have the NIH and NCI’s support as we continue to develop our SonoBiopsy™ technology,” said Ryan Dittamore, CEO of Cordance Medical. “This funding allows us to expand the potential of our NeuroAccess™ platform, which has the potential to transform how brain tumors are diagnosed and treated.”
Project Goals: The Phase I research will focus on optimizing the FUS technique in a rat glioma model to facilitate the non-invasive collection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). By leveraging Cordance’s proprietary technology, the goal is to advance the development of a liquid biopsy approach for brain tumor patients, offering a less invasive alternative to traditional surgical biopsies.
Cordance’s NeuroAccess™ platform utilizes focused ultrasound in combination with microbubbles (routinely used in ultrasound diagnostic examinations), to temporarily and non-invasively open the BBB. This approach enhances drug delivery to brain tumors and enables blood-based liquid biopsy tests, which can provide real-time insights into tumor biology without invasive procedures.
“By advancing the potential of liquid biopsy for brain tumor patients, we aim to provide a critical diagnostic tool that not only improves detection but also expands therapeutic options,” added Dr. Ramamurthy.
About Cordance Medical
Cordance Medical is a pioneering medical technology company focused on developing non-invasive tools to improve treatment outcomes for patients with brain diseases, including brain cancers, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Cordance’s flagship NeuroAccess™ platform is designed to safely and temporarily open the blood-brain barrier, enabling better drug delivery and advancing liquid biopsy techniques for the real-time monitoring of brain disease.
For more information, please visit www.cordancemedical.com.
Disclaimer: This research is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R43CA295307. The content of the research is solely the responsibility of Cordance Medical and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.