Lifetrac’s Compound Gets FDA Approval for Sale

Lifetrac, an Irvine-based research and development company, said the federal Food and Drug Administration granted it permission to sell its cell adhesive matrix plates to International Clinical Laboratories Inc. for use in tests of potential cancer treatments.

A cell adhesive matrix is a compound used in a laboratory to grow cancerous cells taken from an individual patient. Technicians can then experiment with chemical and radiation treatments specifically for that individual.

Lifetrac said the potential market for the new testing system could reach $75 million annually. Paul Cohen, president and chief executive of Lifetrac, said the process “marks an evolutionary step forward in the treatment of cancer.”