IVDiagnostics establishes new lab to monitor, measure cancer cells
July 26, 2012
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - A Northwest Indiana life-sciences company has increased its presence at the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana by establishing a new laboratory to expand research that monitors and measures cells for improved cancer treatments.
IVDiagnostics develops, tests and markets diagnostic tools that measure and monitor cancer tumor cells. The company's technology identifies circulating tumor cells, which are released from primary cancer tumors into the bloodstream and then lodge at distant organs to begin new cancer growth. Health-care providers use the information from IVDiagnostics to determine cancer treatment effectiveness.
"Our company supports the goals of raising the bar for molecular medicine," said Frank Szczepanski, CEO of IVDiagnostics. "Our expanded life sciences lab will enable us to provide even more detailed information for improved cancer treatments."
Thomas Szczepanski, director of marketing and support systems at IVDiagnostics, described why the company decided to expand in Purdue Technology Center.
"The Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana is ideally equipped to offer readily available space and state-of-the-art facilities for companies such as IVDiagnostics," he said.
Frank Szczepanski also spoke about the opportunity to create a center for advanced cancer research in Northwest Indiana that can have a global impact. He is chief operating officer of The Foundation for Molecular Medicine, a group that supports research on improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart and neurodegenerative diseases.
"We strongly feel that teaching more biotechnology courses in Northwest Indiana, having regional hospitals put advanced molecular diagnostics and treatment options into practice, and doing more research collaboration between clinicians and biotech firms will be a driving force for collaboration among universities, hospitals, students and professors to learn and put into practice non-toxic molecular diagnosis and treatment alternatives," he said. "Together, with other biotech companies at both the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana and throughout the Midwest, we can make this happen."
About IVDiagnostics LLC
IVDiagnostics is a biomedical diagnostic company focused on molecular diagnostic tests for circulating tumor cells and other blood-borne diseases. The company's mission is to save lives by providing oncologists and pathologists with better diagnostics tools for monitoring blood-borne diseases.
About The Foundation for Molecular Medicine
The Foundation for Molecular Medicine is dedicated to supporting research on improving diagnosis and therapy of cancer, heart attacks and neurodegenerative diseases.
About Purdue Research Park
Purdue Research Park, with four locations across Indiana, has the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The park network is home to about 200 companies that employ 4,000 people and are located in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, Merrillville and New Albany.
Purdue Research Park contact:
Steve Martin, 765-588-3342, sgmartin@prf.org
Source:
Frank Szczepanski, 219-840-0007, frank@ivdiagnostics.com
Thomas Szczepanski, 219-801-1269, tom@ivdiagnostics.com
