Empire Genome Gains Federal Funding

Empire Genome LLC, based in Buffalo, N.Y., has been awarded a grant of $142,432 from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institute of Health. The funding comes through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which awards up to $150,000 during the first phase of product development to foster innovative ideas. The company also will be eligible for a Phase II award up to $1 million.

Company executives state they plan to use the money to further develop Empire’s technology for investigating methods in genomics to predict how multiple myeloma patients respond to therapeutic treatments. Multiple myeloma, also known as Kahler’s disease, is cancer of the plasma cells.

Located in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the company offers molecular genomic testing with a specialization in oncology and personalized medicine.

The funding comes on the heels of Empire’s acquisition of an exclusive license to technology from Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.), with which it will develop a molecular diagnostic test to help diagnose and treat patients with neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC).