INTEK DIAGNOSTICS, INC.

INTEK DIAGNOSTICS, INC. (FORMERLY CARCINEX, INC.) IS A SMALL BUSINESS CORPORATION FUNDED TO DEVELOP AND MARKET NEW METHODS TO DIAGNOSE, STAGE, AND TREAT SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMAS. INTEK DIAGNOSTICS HAS DEVELOPED A LIBRARY OF HIGHLY TUMOR-ASSOCIATED MURINE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES. THESE ANTIBODIES REACT WITH ANTIGENS PRESENT ON SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA AND FOUND MINIMALLY ON NORMAL SQUAMOUS EPITHELIUM. THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS THE ISOLATION OF TRANSFORMING GENES PRESENT IN SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF THE HEAD AND NECK IN ORDER TO DEVELOP NEW MOLECULAR REAGENTS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF THESE DISORDERS. IN PHASE I WE WILL TRANSFECT THE DNA OF 20 HUMAN TUMOR CELL LINES ESTABLISHED FROM SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMAS OF THE HEAD AND NECK INTO THE NIH 3T3 CELL AND INTO EXPLANTS OF NORMAL SQUAMOUS CELLS OF HEAD AND NECK EPITHELIUM TO ISOLATE CELLULAR TRANSFORMING GENES WHICH PLAY A ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF THESE MALIGNANCIES. BY FOCUSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO PRODUCTS OF GENES INVOLVED IN THE EVOLUTIONOF SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMAS, IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE IN PHASE II TO DEVELOP IMMUNOLOGICAL REAGENTS WHICH CAN BE USED DECISIVELY FOR DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT OF THESE DISEASES.