SAN FRANCISCO — Enable Biosciences Inc was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant for $750,000 to commercialize ultrasensitive and multiplexable immunoassays for both research and clinical diagnostic use.

Over 70% of clinical decisions are informed by lab tests, many of which rely on detecting antibody biomarkers. “For hundreds of infectious and autoimmune diseases and cancer, early detection makes the greatest difference to achieve a good outcome. More sensitive and accurate antibody tests are urgently needed,” explains Enable’s CEO David Seftel, M.D.

Enable’s Antibody Detection by Agglutination-PCR technology (ADAP) is 1,000-10,000 more sensitive at detecting antibodies than existing methods. “Our NSF Phase I grant demonstrated that ADAP could accurately detect dozens of difficult disease markers simultaneously. This Phase II award will help us take this technology from bench to bedside,” said Peter Robinson, PhD, Enable’s Chief Scientific Officer. Funding from the National Science Foundation will support automation of the testing technology, creation and validation of new tests, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and developing good manufacturing processes.

“The National Science Foundation supports small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts,” said Barry Johnson, Director of Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF.

“We are thrilled to receive this ongoing support from the National Science Foundation,” stated Cheng-ting Jason Tsai, PhD, Enable’s Chief Technology Officer.

About Enable Biosciences: Enable is a diagnostics company based in San Francisco, CA commercializing licensed technology from UC Berkeley and Stanford University. (www.enablebiosciences.com.) Press inquiries: [email protected]