A new blood test for cancer detection
Official title: Epigenomic analysis of cell-free nucleosomes for cancer research
Funded at Epicypher, INC. · NIH-11183029 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is developing a new type of blood test to find cancer more accurately by looking at specific markers in your blood.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Epicypher, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Research Triangle Park, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,047,610 |
| NIH project number | 2R44CA284973-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11183029 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancer or those at high risk for cancer who could benefit from improved diagnostic and monitoring tools might be ideal candidates for future applications of this technology.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without cancer or those not seeking cancer detection or monitoring would not directly benefit from this specific diagnostic development.
What this research studies
Current blood tests for cancer, often called liquid biopsies, look at DNA but sometimes have trouble telling different cell types or disease stages apart. This project focuses on tiny structures in the blood called nucleosomes, which carry important information about where cells come from and their disease state. By examining these nucleosomes, we aim to get a clearer picture of cancer. The goal is to create a highly sensitive and reliable test that can identify cancer markers directly from human plasma samples.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this new blood test could offer a more precise and earlier method to detect cancer and track its progress.
How similar studies have gone: Early applications of similar cell-free epigenomic approaches have shown potential, but a commercial platform optimized for cell-free nucleosome analysis is still being developed.
Where this research is happening
-
Epicypher, INC.
Research Triangle Park, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Venters, Bryan J — Epicypher, INC.
- Study coordinator: Venters, Bryan J
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.