Oasis Diagnostics Corp. of Vancouver has been awarded Phase II funding from the National Institutes of Health to complete development of its rapid quantitative stress test that detects, in real time, levels of the hormone cortisol in saliva.
Oasis will receive first-year funding of $733,850, followed by $574,303 in the project’s second year if first-year research goals are met. The research will be carried out at Oasis’ laboratory in Portland and will be conducted in collaboration with the University of New Orleans and Middleton Research in Madison, Wis. The money comes from the institute’s National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.
The test is being developed on Oasis’ VerOFy point-of-care platform technology that incorporates standardized saliva collection with high-quality test strips. The system allows delivery of test results in real time from field sites or other remote testing locations.
“We believe the ability to detect elevated stress levels will become an increasingly important tool in the armory of physicians, researchers and major pharmaceutical companies developing stress-relieving medications,” said Oasis CEO Paul D. Slowey.
