Non-invasive quest for early detection

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And Boston University’s “Innovator of the Year” is…

By Scott Kirsner, Globe Columnist

Boston University created a pretty nifty award in 2010: “Innovator of the Year,” which they hand out annually as part of an event at the school called “Tech, Drugs & Rock ‘n Roll.” The award is intended to honor a faculty member “whose cutting-edge research has led to creation of companies that benefit society,” according to BU spokesperson Richard Taffe.

This year’s recipient is Avrum Spira, co-founder of Allegro Diagnostics and head of the Division of Computational Biomedicine at BU’s Medical School. Allegro is commercializing Spira’s research into gene-based tests that could spot lung cancer sooner, and better manage its treatment, in current or former smokers.

Spira has authored 37 peer-reviewed papers, and has attracted over $3.5 million in NIH funding for BU research. Allegro Diagnostics has raised $8.9 million in total funding, according to Taffe. (Here’s a brief on the company’s $5.4 million A round.)

Spira was recently inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation, a society of physician-scientists under the age of 45 (Spira is 39.) Spira grew up in Canada, and now lives in Newton.

In the video below, Spira talks about how epithelial cells in a smoker’s respiratory tract can serve as a “canary in the coal mine” for the early diagnosis of lung cancer, and help doctors make better decisions about how to treat it.