U.S. military awards nearly $5M to Detroit molecular imaging cancer center

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command has awarded the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute's National Oncogenomics and Molecular Imaging Center (NOMIC) in Detroit $4.67 million in federal appropriations to develop technology that will allow for human cancer diagnosis by defining oncogene signatures.

The federal funding, which will be allocated over the next two years, was spearheaded and supported by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.; Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; and Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Mich., according to NOMIC.

Under the terms of the government contract, the center said it will receive $2.13 million from Aug. 20 of this year to Sept. 19, 2009, and will receive another $2.55 million in federal funds during the same time frame the following year.

Oncogenes are the mutated forms of genes that cause normal cells to grow out of control and become cancer cells. Karmanos said it will provide imaging technology capable of improving the detection of genes that cause cancer, as well as measure the treatment response. The intellectual and technical advancements as well as the research gained in the NOMIC will also be shared with military hospitals globally.

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