Ovarian and endometrial cancer screening technologies, created by Drs. Lewis Pannell, Michael Finan and Rod Rocconi at the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute, have earned kudos and research funding from multiple sources.
Swift Biotechnology, based in Mobile, is licensed to bring the ovarian technology to the marketplace and has an option on the endometrial technology.
Late last year, the National Institutes of Health awarded Pannell a $1.1 million research grant for the ovarian project. In March, Rocconi presented two of the five research projects featured at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology annual meeting in March in Los Angeles, one on the ovarian technology and one on the endometrial. In July, Finan presented the ovarian project research at the Society of Pelvic Surgeons in Germany, winning the Eugene Bricker Award for Best Research.
In addition, the journal BioCentury featured Swift Biotech as an emerging new company.
And in June, Swift was awarded a patent on the lead biomarker it has in development for this project.