$2M funding supports mtDNA-based biomarkers study

Ottawa, ON – Biotech company Genesis Genomics is receiving $1.95 million funding support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP).

The funding supports a project that will assist the company in a two-year project to identify diagnostic genetic cancer markers using mitochondrial DNA-based biomarkers.

The company focuses on the discovery, development and commercial application of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-based biomarkers for a wide spectrum of human diseases. A new project, called Accelerated mtDNA Genome Biomarker Discovery, is based on a new, novel class of. The mitochondrion is responsible for many of the cellular processes associated with the growth of cancerous tumours.

“The only known cure for cancer is early detection. With the help of NRC-IRAP, we will position our company as the world leader in early detection and be able to provide Canadians with earlier cancer diagnosis and an improved prognosis as a result of early intervention,” says Robert Poulter, the company’s president and CEO.