Parsortix Validation for Ovarian Cancer

RNS Number : 4457B

Angle PLC

17 April 2012

 



For immediate release

17 April 2012

ANGLE plc

("ANGLE" or "the Company")

Parsortix Update

VALIDATION FOR OVARIAN CANCER   

ANGLE plc (AIM: AGL), the technology commercialisation company, is delighted to announce that it has achieved another important milestone by confirming that its Parsortix cell separation device can capture cultured ovarian cancer cells.

The ability to capture ovarian cancer cells creates the possibility of developing an effective, non-invasive screening technique to enable the early diagnosis and monitoring of ovarian cancer.

ANGLE has previously demonstrated that its Parsortix separation technology can capture cultured breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer cells added to blood (spiked blood).  New experiments have shown that the Parsortix separation technology can also capture cultured ovarian cancer cells.

This is a further important step towards demonstrating that the Parsortix separation technology can capture any solid tumour cancers without the need for modification or dependence on cancer specific antibodies, unlike existing antibody affinity based technology.

Ovarian cancer usually has a poor prognosis. The mortality rate is disproportionately high because it lacks any clear early detection or screening test, meaning that most cases are not diagnosed until they have reached advanced stages. More than 60% of women presenting with this cancer have stage III or stage IV cancer, when it has already spread beyond the ovaries.  The five-year survival rate for all stages of ovarian cancer is 47%. For cases where a diagnosis is made early in the disease, when the cancer is still confined to the primary site, the five-year survival rate is much higher at 93%.

Ovarian cancer at its early stages (I/II) is difficult to diagnose until it spreads and advances to later stages (III/IV). This is because most symptoms are non-specific and thus of little use in diagnosis.  To definitively diagnose ovarian cancer, a surgical procedure to take a look into the abdomen is required. This can be an open procedure (laparotomy, incision through the abdominal wall) or keyhole surgery (laparoscopy). During this procedure, suspicious areas will be removed and sent for microscopic analysis. Fluid from the abdominal cavity can also be analysed for cancerous cells. If there is cancer, this procedure can also determine whether it has spread.

Screening for any type of cancer must be accurate and reliable - it needs to accurately detect the disease and it must not give false positive results in people who do not have cancer. As yet there is no technique for ovarian screening that has been shown to fulfil these criteria.  The capture of ovarian cancer CTCs in a patient's blood offers the prospect of a non-invasive test to detect the cancer early and to help target its treatment.

Development of the Parsortix separation technology is proceeding to plan and we are on track with the next key milestones, which are:

·    Validation of the separation device for other cancer types;

·    The development of new separation device designs to allow ease of use in the laboratory addressing critical factors of increasing the volume of blood that can be screened and the speed of blood flow through the device; 

·    Independent third party validation of the performance of the Parsortix CTC separation device by leading cancer research centres including the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research; and  

·    Development and launch of the Parsortix cancer diagnostic product for research purposes, with initial sales to cancer research centres and pharmaceutical companies developing cancer drugs.

ANGLE's Founder and Chief Executive, Andrew Newland, commented:

"The successful capture and identification of cultured ovarian cancer cells added to blood is significant as it suggests that the Parsortix separation technology may work with all solid tumour cancers."

For further information:

ANGLE plc	01483 685830
Andrew Newland, Chief Executive Ian Griffiths, Finance Director
Cenkos Securities Stephen Keys, Adrian Hargrave (Nominated adviser) Andy Roberts (Sales)	020 7397 8900
Buchanan Mark Court, Sophie Cowles	020 7466 5000
Scott Harris Stephen Scott, Harry Dee	0207 653 0030

 

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