Enspectra Health's Initiative to Advance Predictive Algorithms for Skin Precancers Awarded $2M Grant from the NIH.

Funding to support clinical research of precancerous lesions that can lead to skin cancer. 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Enspectra Health, a healthtech company pioneering the virtual biopsy, has been awarded $2M in grant funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The funding will support research for developing deep learning algorithms to predict which precancerous lesions, Actinic Keratosis (AK), are likely to progress to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a form of non-melanoma skin cancer. AKs affect more than 58 million Americans¹ and can progress to SCC, which kills more Americans than melanoma each year.² The annual cost of treating non-melanoma skin cancers in the U.S. is estimated to be $4.8 billion.

Enspectra's innovative technology combines reflectance confocal and multiphoton laser scanning microscopy, resulting in high resolution images of cellular anatomy without the need for a biopsy. Unlike slide based scanners that require biopsies for digitization, Enspectra's technology digitizes pathology instantaneously and directly from a subject's skin in vivo. This capability can redefine the way numerous skin conditions are evaluated and treated.

With the NCI grant, Enspectra will build a large database of digital histopathology on patients with AKs before topical therapy is applied. These subjects will then be followed through the course of their treatment to identify non-responders. AKs that do not respond to therapy are more likely to progress to SCC and present a higher clinical risk. Utilizing multimodal data from its novel imaging platform, Enspectra will train a deep learning algorithm intended to predict which AKs would be unresponsive to treatment based on the noninvasive images.

"We are thrilled to have been awarded a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR grant from the NCI to support the development of predictive algorithms for skin precancers," said Gabriel Sanchez, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Enspectra Health. "This grant will accelerate our vision to noninvasively detect and monitor skin conditions earlier to advance care for the millions of patients with skin conditions."

About Enspectra Health

Enspectra Health is an emerging, privately held healthtech company pioneering the virtual biopsy to transform the way physicians evaluate a broad spectrum of skin conditions. The Company's novel technology combines reflectance confocal and multiphoton laser scanning microscopy to generate real-time, multispectral images at the cellular level, without the need for an incision. The technology allows for an instantaneous evaluation of rich, digital pathology images of various skin tissues, with the ultimate goal of minimizing unnecessary biopsies and facilitating earlier disease diagnosis.

Enspectra's device is limited by United States law to investigational use only and is not available for sale.

¹The Lewin Group, Inc. The Burden of Skin Diseases 2005. Prepared for the Society for Investigative Dermatology, Cleveland, OH, and the American Academy of Dermatology Assn., Washington, DC, 2005.
²Mansouri, B. & Housewright, C. The Treatment of Actinic Keratoses—The Rule Rather Than the Exception. JAMA Dermatol 153, 1200 (2017).

Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 5R44CA221591-04. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

For more information, please visit www.enspectrahealth.com or contact Investor Relations at [email protected].

SOURCE Enspectra Health