Biomoda (Albuquerque, New Mexico), maker of early lung cancer detection testing and other cancer diagnostic technology, reported an agreement with Northport Associates (Ontario) to direct Biomoda's government and public affairs efforts. Northport will spearhead Biomoda's state and federal lobbying to secure funding for its programs to screen military personnel and veterans for lung cancer using Biomoda's assay.

The Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) and Biomoda are jointly conducting a validation study of Biomoda's patented technology, a noninvasive cytology-based lung cancer assay. Biomoda’s technology is based on a patented porphyrin application that preferentially binds to cancerous or aberrant cells extracted from lung sputum samples.

The patented technology is designed for cancer screening of large populations at a reasonable cost, compared to CT scans and X-rays which often detect the disease only at more advanced stages and are relatively expensive.