FREDERICK, Md. – – October 29, 2026 -- CellectGen has secured Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding to develop a saliva-based, point-of-care diagnostic for periodontal disease, targeting early detection of active tissue destruction. The company is building the platform with reagent supplier Kemp Proteins and lateral-flow developer DCNDx.
Periodontal disease affects 42% of U.S. adults over 30 and costs an estimated $154 billion
Periodontal disease is a leading cause of adult tooth loss. Clinicians still struggle to identify patients with active disease before irreversible damage appears. Current diagnostics mostly detect existing clinical disease or risk factors, and commercial saliva tests mainly measure bacterial or host biomarker signatures rather than tissue destruction itself.
CellectGen platform measures distinct molecular forms of a tissue-breakdown enzyme
The platform quantifies different forms of a highly specific enzyme linked to the breakdown of periodontal soft and hard tissue. Distinguishing these forms was previously difficult because antibodies with the required specificity were lacking. With Kemp Proteins, CellectGen has developed and validated hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibodies that separate them.
"Diagnostics are only as strong as the reagents behind them," said Mike Keefe, CEO of Kemp Proteins.
DCNDx is turning the antibodies into a quantitative lateral-flow test with a 15-minute target
Carlsbad, California-based DCNDx is designing and optimizing the lateral-flow format around CellectGen's antibodies. It is tuning the assay to deliver quantitative rather than yes/no results and testing performance with real saliva samples. The goal is results in under 15 minutes, in a format simple enough for chairside and at-home use.
CellectGen CEO Robert Gellibolian said the platform is meant to show clinicians the level of active tissue destruction, the risk of future progression, and whether current therapy is working. SBIR funding will advance that work, while Kemp supplies antibody reagents for continued assay development with DCNDx.
DCNDx COO Patrick Vaughan said the three companies are taking a fast, quantitative assay from the lab to chairside and at-home use. The technology aims to support earlier identification of subclinical tissue destruction, progression monitoring and evaluation of treatment response.