REG-Bioventix Plc: Investment in CardiNor <Origin Href="QuoteRef">BVXP.L</Origin>

BioventixAnnouncement

14/01/2016 07:10

Bioventix plc                                 

                        ("Bioventix" or the "Company")                         

            Bioventix invests in CVD diagnostics start-up CardiNor             

      Companies to jointly develop "missing link" Secretoneurin biomarker      

Oslo, January 14, Scandinavian cardiovascular diagnostics start-up CardiNor AS
today announced a collaboration with leading UK antibody specialist Bioventix
plc (BVXP). Under the terms of the agreement Bioventix will develop and provide
antibodies for CardiNor's new Secretoneurin (SN) IVD test. Aimed at the
estimated USD 4 billion cardiovascular risk assessment market, the assay is
intended for launch in early 2017.  Under the terms of the agreement, Bioventix
will take a 10% shareholding in CardiNor.

Secretoneurin is a neuropeptide that has been shown by researchers at Akershus
University Hospital, University of Oslo and Akademiska in Uppsala Sweden to be
an independent CVD risk marker linked to the myocyte calcium regulation. This
led to recent editorial in JACC, the Journal of Clinical Cardiology, entitled:
"Will secretoneurin be the next big thing in cardiovascular risk assessment?"
assessing its potential to become provide a third key frontline assay alongside
troponin and BNP for cardiovascular risk assessment,

"Secretoneurin has the potential to provide a far better tool for selecting
patients for cardiac rhythm management" says CardiNor CEO Dag Christiansen.
"The current regime lacks the desired sensitivity and specificity for patient
selection. It is known that 70% of patients with an (ICD) implantable
cardioverter-defibrillator do not actually need the device. This in turn causes
both unnecessary patient stress and device costs of USD 10 billion. By working
with Bioventix utilising their antibody and ELISA expertise, to develop a
simple blood-based Secretoneurin test, we believe we can dramatically change
this situation and provide the missing link in CV risk assessment".

Peter Harrison, CEO of Bioventix plc said "We are delighted to be involved with
CardiNor in their secretoneurin project working with both experienced industry
people and world-renowned scientific experts in the CVD biomarker field. We
have many years' experience of making high affinity sheep monoclonal antibodies
for various diagnostic applications including cardiac markers.  We believe that
our technology and experience will add to the high quality of basic research
that has resulted in the secretoneurin assay project". 

For further information, please contact:

CardiNor As                                          Tel: +47 922 54 855      
Dag Christiansen           Chief Executive Officer                            
                                                                              
Bioventix plc                                        Tel: 01252 728 001       
Peter Harrison             Chief Executive Officer                            
                                                                              
finnCap Ltd                                          Tel: 020 7220 0500       
Geoff Nash/Simon Hicks     Corporate Finance                                  
Steve Norcross             Corporate Broking                                  

About CardiNor AS

CardiNor is a Norwegian diagnostics company established in 2015 to
commercialise research at the Akershus University Hospital into cardiovascular
risk markers, in particular Secretoneurin. This neuropeptide has been shown to
be implicated heavily in myocyte calcium regulation and is thus considered to
have great potential in cardiac health management. The company's management and
scientific team has extensive experience in the field, having been involved in
the development of numerous frontline clinical assays including BNP and
Homocysteine. Lead investors are the founders and Inven2, the largest tech
transfer office in the Nordic region.

About Bioventix plc:

Bioventix (www.bioventix.com) specialises in the development and commercial
supply of high-affinity monoclonal antibodies with a primary focus on their
application in clinical diagnostics, such as in automated immunoassays used in
blood testing.  The antibodies created at Bioventix are generated in sheep and
are of particular benefit where the target is present at low concentration and
where conventional monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies have failed to produce a
suitable reagent.  Bioventix currently offers a portfolio of antibodies to
customers for both commercial use and R&D purposes, for the diagnosis or
monitoring of a broad range of conditions, including heart disease, cancer,
fertility, thyroid function and drug abuse.  Bioventix currently supplies
antibody products and services to the majority of multinational clinical
diagnostics companies.  Bioventix is based in Farnham, UK and its shares are
traded on AIM under the symbol BVXP. 



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