SBIR Phase II: Software Development for Automatic Scanning and Analysis of Fluorescent Labeled Prostate Cancer Cells

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is twofold. First, integrate computer hardware and software, developed in Phase I, to automate a sophisticated fluorescence microscope to allow for automated slide scanning/image acquisition and processing to identify and enumerate circulating prostate cancer cells, based on various fluorescent markers. Blood samples from normal and cancer patients will be used to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the automated microscope by comparing automated cell identification (with a cell recognition algorithm) and manual cell identification ,i.e., the human eye.Second, data obtained with the markers will be entered into the Cell Works database (to be completed in Phase II) along with clinical history of the blood donors ( PSA level, mortality, etc.) for validation of the database. Correlation between cancer cell data and patient PSA level will be made. A potential commercial application is to assist, in conjunction with the Prostate Cancer Circulating Cell Test, in determining metastasis in a cancer patient. The technology will enable Cell Works to more quickly, efficiently, and accurately perform a substantial number of circulating cell tests and correlate circulating cells with metastasis, and will greatly increase the ability to commercialize the CC Test.