A company founded by a Purdue University scientist has landed nearly $200,000 in government funding to adapt Blu-ray technology into a device for detecting early-stage cancers.
J. Paul Robinson is a professor of cytomics, or the study of cell systems. He says adapting Blu-ray technology that's used for watching videos and listening to music into a low-cost cancer diagnosis and monitoring platform may seem improbable, but he's confident it will work.
The chief technology officer of Robinson's West Lafayette-based company is a former Sony Corp. engineer who helped develop Blu-ray technology.
Robinson's Cytomics Analytical LLC has received nearly $150,000 in federal funding and $50,000 in state funding. It will repurpose Blu-ray devices to detect fluorescent molecules attached to nanoparticles released into the blood during early stages of cancer and syndromes.