# Validation and Translation of MasSpec Pen Technology for Intraoperative Evaluation of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

> **NIH NIH R01** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $557,296

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States for which
surgery remains a critical treatment option. The appropriate extent of resection for NSCLC is highly dependent
on intra-operative decision-making. Specifically, the diagnosis of NSCLC is often determined intra-operatively
by a limited resection of a suspicious pulmonary nodule, and intraoperative diagnosis is required before
proceeding to a larger, cancer-specific resection during the same procedure. Further, intraoperative evaluation
of resection margins is required in NSCLC surgeries to assure complete cancer removal before leaving the
operating room (OR). Thus, the ability to accurately diagnose NSCLC and determine surgical margins in the OR
is critical in the care for patients with NSCLC. However, the current technology used for intraoperative evaluation
of NSCLC diagnosis and margins is frozen section analysis, a century-old technique that is labor-intensive and
prone to error. Frozen section analysis also extends operative time, subjecting patients to increased risks of
surgical complications. New technologies that can provide surgeons with the ability to rapidly and accurately
diagnose NSCLC in the OR and evaluate surgical margins with high accuracy are critically needed to improve
surgical care and outcomes for patients. We have reported the development of an innovative technology, the
MasSpec Pen (MSPen), for rapid and non-destructive diagnosis of cancer tissues. The MSPen deploys a single
droplet of water to gently extract molecules from tissues, which are then analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS)
and statistical classifiers to provide diagnosis in seconds. We have demonstrated that the MSPen can accurately
diagnose NSCLC using banked tissues with 97% accuracy. We have also shown that the MSPen system can
be translated to the OR for use by surgeons for rapid in vivo and ex vivo tissue analysis. Through a collaborative
partnership between academic scientists and surgeons at Baylor College of Medicine and the R&D team at
MSPen Technologies Inc., we now propose to refine and validate the MSPen for intraoperative diagnosis and
surgical margin evaluation in NSCLC. Our objective is to optimize and translate new MSPen technology for
NSCLC detection, test its functionality, and validate its performance in the OR setting, thus delivering a potentially
improved platform for intraoperative lung tissue analysis to surgeons - the end users. Our specific aims are: Aim
1. Optimize the MSPen Technology for intraoperative use in NSCLC operations. We will develop a next-gen
MSPen platform for use in open and robotic NSCLC surgeries; Aim 2. Validate the MSPen for NSCLC diagnosis.
We will conduct a prospective observational study allowing thoracic surgeons to validate the technology for
NSCLC diagnosis in the OR; Aim 3. Validate the MSPen for intraoperative surgical margin evaluation in NSCLC.
We will validate the MSPen technology for surgic...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10854830
- **Project number:** 5R01CA284742-02
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Bryan Michael Burt
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $557,296
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-02 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10854830

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10854830, Validation and Translation of MasSpec Pen Technology for Intraoperative Evaluation of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (5R01CA284742-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10854830. Licensed CC0.

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