ApoCell Inc, spun off from technology developed at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, is a privately held molecular biomarker development, services and diagnostics company. A specialty clinical research company focused determining the effectiveness of drugs on diabetes, cancer and other diseases by measuring their effect on molecular biomarkers. The company applies its expertise in the areas of oncology, diabetes, molecular diagnostics and drug development and has participated in over 120 Phase I, II, and III clinical drug trials for more than 80 sponsor customers. ApoCell has patented detection tools and customized platforms to create unique lab-developed tests for biomarker analysis and discovery, focusing on the identification and analysis of multiple biomarkers on isolated rare cells - CTCs, CECs, and circulating stem cells - and the monitoring of pharmacodynamic effects of anticancer drugs. ApoCell has completed work on first generation instruments for new technology that can be used for the isolation of viable CTCs from a range of cancer types. The technology, known as ApoStream, works by exploiting unique characteristics of tumor cells that distinguish them from healthy blood cells through dielectrophoresis field flow fractionation (DEP-FFF). ApoCell is using the platform in-house in ongoing clinical trials, and intends to develop it towards market distribution.
