Erisyon Awarded $2.2M Grant to Develop Diagnostic for Immuno-Oncology Treatment Selection
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Erisyon, a leading provider of single-molecule proteomics technology, today announced that it has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to develop a diagnostic for the selection of immuno-oncology treatment using its proprietary Fluorosequencing™ technology. The project is a collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center and targets a Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) biomarker developed at the Weizmann Institute.
Fluorosequencing™ is a high-throughput, massively parallel, single-molecule proteomics technology that brings the benefits of next-generation DNA sequencing to proteins. It offers the ultimate sensitivity of a single molecule, massively parallel experimentation with billions of reads, and absolute quantification of proteins in a sample with digital counts of molecules.
The ideal set of applications for Fluorosequence to tackle include those that require high sensitivity, unbiased detection, and digital quantification.
Immuno Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) therapies have revolutionized the treatment of cancer. By resuscitating the body’s natural strategy for clearing diseased cells, ICI has saved millions of lives while also creating a multi-billion-dollar market opportunity.
Despite the rapid adoption of ICI therapies, there is still no reliable diagnostic for treatment selection. Existing diagnostic tests are either qualitative or do not provide insights into the dysregulation of the cell’s proteomic machinery.
In a 2023 Nature Cancer publication, Prof. Yifat Merbl’s lab at the Weizmann Institute detailed that a biomarker called PSME4 whose overexpression in NSCLC, results in tumors that are “antigenic deserts” that require more careful selection of treatments.
Erisyon’s Fluorosequencing™ technology is uniquely suited to address the challenges of bringing PSME4 biomarker to the clinic. Its single-molecule sensitivity, massively parallel architecture, and unbiased detection provide the necessary sensitivity, dynamic range, and quantitative accuracy.
Erisyon will collaborate with Prof. Jianjun Zhang, Chair of the MD Anderson Moon Shot GEMINI program, over the next two years to develop and apply Fluorosequencing™ to identify and quantitate PSME4 levels in patient samples.
“This grant from CPRIT is a significant milestone for Erisyon and a testament to the potential of our Fluorosequencing™ technology to address unmet needs in cancer diagnostics,” said Talli Somekh, CEO of Erisyon. “We are excited to collaborate with MD Anderson and the Weizmann Institute to bring this diagnostic to the clinic and improve patient outcomes.”
About Erisyon
Erisyon is a leading provider of single-molecule proteomics technology. Its Fluorosequencing platform brings the benefits of next-generation DNA sequencing to proteins, offering the ultimate sensitivity of a single molecule, massively parallel experimentation with billions of reads, and absolute quantification of proteins in a sample with digital counts of molecules. Erisyon is headquartered in Houston, TX.
About CPRIT
Created by the Texas Legislature and approved by a statewide vote in 2007, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) leads the Lone Star State’s fight against cancer. In 2019, Texas voters again voted overwhelmingly to support CPRIT with an additional $3 billion, for a total $6 billion investment in cancer research and prevention.
To date, the agency has awarded more than $3.7 billion in grants to Texas research institutions and organizations through its academic research, prevention, and product development research programs. CPRIT has also recruited 324 distinguished researchers to Texas, supported the establishment, expansion, or relocation of 74 companies to Texas, and supported 10.1 million prevention services reaching all 254 counties in Texas.
The Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House appoint the members of the Oversight Committee. The board meets at least once every quarter to set the priorities for the agency as well as vote on proposed, peer-reviewed cancer research and prevention grants to institutions, organizations, and companies throughout the state.
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