TIDMEKF
RNS Number : 3149S
EKF Diagnostics Holdings PLC
23 September 2014
EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc
("EKF" or "the Company")
US research collaboration to develop blood tests for cancer
patients
EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc (AIM: EKF), the AIM listed
point-of-care, central laboratory and molecular diagnostics
business, announces that it has entered into a two year research
collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a global
leader in successfully bridging innovative science with
state-of-the-art clinical medicine, to develop PointMan assays that
can effectively detect treatable cancer mutations in blood
samples.
The collaboration agreement has been signed following a detailed
evaluation of PointMan DNA enrichment technology by MGH and will
cover a two year long project focussing on lung, breast and skin
cancer.
MGH will use PointMan DNA enrichment technology for the
detection of genetic variation in circulating tumour cells (CTCs)
isolated from a patient's blood using MGH's CTC-Chip instrument.
CTCs are shed by primary tumors allowing the cancer to metastasise.
CTCs are extremely rare in whole blood and their isolation and
characterisation could offer clinicians a routine method with which
to diagnose, treat and monitor the progress of various cancers. The
main difficulty in successfully analysing CTCs has been the ability
to detect low level mutations sufficiently and to create assays
that are sensitive enough to provide meaningful data; difficulties
which PointMan may be able to effectively overcome.
EKF Molecular will design and develop high sensitivity assays
which will be utilised by MGH with a view to clinically validating
PointMan in the detection of existing and novel mutations, a major
step towards the improvement of patient outcomes in the
hospital.
Andrew Webb, CEO of EKF Molecular Diagnostics Ltd, commented:
"The results of an initial assessment, and now this two year
collaboration, moves us even closer to the routine use of blood
based tests for cancer rather than a tissue biopsy. The combination
of MGH's CTC-Chip instrument and the easy to use and quick to
perform PointMan technology should make this approach to cancer
detection and monitoring available, ultimately, to the majority of
molecular testing laboratories."
Dr Daniel A. Haber, Director at Massachusetts General Hospital
Cancer Center and Kurt J. Isselbacher, Peter D. Schwartz Professor
of Oncology, Harvard Medical School, commented: "We have been
studying the sensitivity of DNA enrichment technology as a way to
detect and monitor specific mutations in cancers from patients
utilising circulating tumour cells isolated from a simple blood
sample. I am hopeful that the combination of such technology with
our CTC-Chip technology will have the potential to improve the
clinical management of our patients."
Dr Shyamala Maheswaran, of the Massachusetts General Hospital
Cancer Center and Associate Professor of Oncology at Harvard
Medical School, who was principal investigator for the
collaboration, commented: "This study demonstrated incredible
sensitivity for mutations that are relevant to lung cancer, breast
cancer and melanoma. During the course of the two-year research
collaboration, we will look for other potential target genes
associated with these and other cancer types."
Enquiries:
EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc Tel: 029 2071 0570
Julian Baines, CEO Mob: 07788 420 859
Andrew Webb, CEO of EKF Molecular Mob: 07764 581 636
Diagnostics Ltd
Canaccord Genuity Limited
Lucy Tilley / Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor Tel: 020 7523 8000
/ Julian Feneley
Walbrook PR Limited Tel: 020 7933 8780 or ekf@walbrookpr.com
Paul McManus Mob: 07980 541 893
Lianne Cawthorne Mob: 07584 391 303
About EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc - www.ekfdiagnostics.com
EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc was formed in July 2010 following
the acquisition of EKF-diagnostic GmbH for EUR14.32m and refocused
its strategy to one of building a substantial point of care
diagnostics business. As part of this strategy, the Group has
integrated three further acquisitions, Quotient Diagnostics Limited
(acquired in September 2010), Argutus Medical Limited (acquired in
December 2010) and Stanbio Laboratory L.P. (acquired in June 2011).
In 2013 EKF established a new subsidiary, EKF Molecular Diagnostics
Ltd, to focus on molecular and companion diagnostics and acquired
360 Genomics Ltd, a business that owns diagnostics technologies for
cancer gene detection.
The Company, with its head office in Cardiff and operations in
London, Germany, Poland, Russia, Ireland and the US, is a leading
diagnostics business, focussing on the development, production and
distribution of chemical reagents and analysers for the testing of
Glucose, Lactate, Haemoglobin, Haematocrit and HbA1c.
In March 2011 EKF entered into a distribution agreement with
Alere Inc ("Alere"), a global diagnostics company, under which
Alere was appointed the exclusive distributor of EKF's CLIA waived
Hemo Control device and cuvettes in the US, Canada and United
Kingdom. The device is distributed in the US under the name
HemoPoint H2.
In March 2014, EKF acquired Separation Technology, Inc., a
Florida based manufacturer of in vitro diagnostics devices for the
haematology testing. In April 2014, EKF completed the acquisitions
of Selah Genomics Inc., a US based developer of molecular
diagnostics for personalised medicine and DiaSpect Medical AB., a
Swedish based manufacturer of point-of-care haemoglobin
analysers.
About PointMan(TM)
PointMan(TM) provides a reliable and highly sensitive
determination of the presence or absence of a mutation in the DNA
sequence. Mutations are associated with diseases such as cancer and
importantly the patient's response to treatment, known as
personalised healthcare.
PointMan(TM) works by targeting the PCR (polymerase chain
reaction) towards the mutant sequence whilst suppressing the
amplification of the non-mutated (wild type) sequence and this
means that these enriched samples contain artificially high levels
of mutated DNA, significantly enhancing detection. This drives the
sensitivity of the PointMan(TM) technology far beyond existing PCR
technology (PointMan(TM) can detect 1 mutant gene in 100,000 normal
gene copies against the nearest technology that detects 1 in
100).
The efficiency of PointMan(TM) therefore maximises the use of
smaller biopsy samples as well as allowing multiplexing of
mutations in a single test rather than many individual tests as
current competing technologies do.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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