Purdue Startup Nets National Grant
The National Cancer Institute has awarded a large grant to a Purdue University startup to assist with testing of the company’s technology to help identify best cancer treatments. KinaSense’s grant, worth more than $200,000, comes with $50,000 in matching funds from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and Elevate Ventures.
KinaSense developed the technology using Purdue University intellectual property. The university says the technology "could help researchers and oncologists see faster than ever which drug therapies will benefit cancer patients and to what extent."
The co-founder and chief technology officer of KinaSense, Steve Ouellette, said the grant will allow for the beginning of laboratory operations. He called the grant a "major validation" of the company’s vision and technology.
"A lot of uncertainty was endured over the past year and a half developing research strategy, gathering support for the project from potential partners and performing due diligence on our business model," said Ouellette. "This grant is a rewarding culmination of that effort, and one of many major milestones toward realizing KinaSense’s mission to help save lives in the battle against cancer."
Ouellette said with the grant, the company will be working toward developing prototype tests that can be used in pre-clinical drug discovery to identify new treatments for cancer patients. He added the grant will also allow the company to have access to special programs offered by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.
You can view the video below to learn more about KinaSense: