SBIR/STTR Award attributes
10% of cancers are associated with an inherited pathogenic variant that can partially be identified by cancer gene panel testing, but up to 40% of cases show variants of uncertain significance (VUS) or no pathogenic variant results. VUS or no pathogenic variant do not reassign risk and, are confusing for how to proceed with surveillance/prevention. Morgan & Mendel Genomics (MMG) has developed rapid and accurate blood tests for detecting a wide range of hereditary cancer risks (breast, ovarian, colon, endometrial & pancreatic cancers) and repair mechanism responses when DNA is damaged, based on the cutting-edge flow variant assay technology. Active-duty service personnel and veterans have an increased risk for developing breast and prostate cancers. The DAF wishes to provide more accurate clinical results to inform patients and providers of cancer risks allowing for more effective treatment plans leading to improved health outcomes. MMG’s test kits can be used as companion diagnostics to annotate VUS and potentially, a standalone test. Our main goals in this project are to leverage MMG’s low-cost blood test solution of high sensitivity (>0.98), high specificity (>0.99) and rapid results (in
