RCS - Oxford BioDynamics - CRC Test Accurately Detects Cancer and Polyps

Oxford BiodynamicsAnnouncement

05/02/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 9223V  Oxford BioDynamics PLC  05 February 2025

 

Oxford BioDynamics plc

("Oxford BioDynamics" or the "Company")

Oxford BioDynamics' EpiSwitch® CRC Blood Test Accurately

Detects both Cancer and Polyps

 

·    Results of multi-institutional clinical study published in peer
reviewed journal 'Cancers' confirms efficacy of Oxford BioDynamics'
EpiSwitch(®) blood-based Colorectal No-Stool Test (NST)

·    High accuracy of detection reported at 81% for early cancer stages and
82% for non-cancerous polyps

·    Discussions are underway with potential partners to bring this
potentially evolutionary test to clinical practice

 

Oxford, UK - 5 February 2025 - Oxford BioDynamics, Plc (AIM: OBD, the
Company), a biotechnology company developing precision medicine tests based on
the EpiSwitch® 3D genomics platform, announces the publication of compelling
results involving OBD's technology in a multi-centre study using blood to
detect colorectal cancer (CRC), including early stage, and non-cancerous
polyps with high accuracy(1).

 

The peer-reviewed work, published in the high-impact journal 'Cancers', was a
collaboration between OBD, Norwich Medical School (University of East Anglia),
University Hospitals NHS Trust, Hospital Sultana Bahiyah, Island Hospital
Penang, Hospital Pulau Pinang, Hospital Sultanah Aminah, and Mount Miriam
Cancer Hospital (Malaysia) under the direction of leading UK and Malaysian
colorectal cancer experts.

 

Using blood samples collected from 325 patients, the whole genome DNA
screening for 3D EpiSwitch biomarkers in blood has identified and validated
two eight-marker signatures (EpiSwitch® NST) that allow diagnosis of CRC and
precancerous polyps, respectively. Independent validation cohort testing
demonstrated an exceptionally high accuracy of detection - 81% for early
cancer stages and 82% for non-cancerous polyps. Linking the top diagnostic
biomarkers to nearby genes, OBD used the EpiSwitch KnowledgeBase platform to
map pathways that help understand the processes contributing to the pathology
of polyp and CRC progression.

 

Principle clinical lead Prof. Dmitry Pchejetski, Ph.D., Professorial Research
Fellow and Head of the Tumour Microenvironment and Chemotherapy group at
Norwich Medical School, said:

"I am excited by these findings. This test has the potential ability to detect
early cancers and precancerous polyps with greater accuracy."

 

Dr Alexandre Akoulitchev, OBD's Chief Scientific Officer added:

"Reliable and non-invasive detection of early stages of colorectal cancer, as
well as the polyps, has been the focus of strenuous efforts by a number of big
biomarker companies deploying common biomarker modalities. To date the results
in terms of sensitivity of detection for polyps and positive predictive value
for cancer have been disappointing. Our own approach and these reported
results demonstrate the consistent accuracy of EpiSwitch technology for the
most challenging patient stratifications and will allow us to progress our
ongoing commercial discussions with third parties."

The peer-reviewed manuscript, titled "A New Blood-Based Epigenetic Diagnostic
Biomarker Test (EpiSwitch® NST) with High Sensitivity and Positive Predictive
Value for Colorectal Cancer and Precancerous Polyps" is available online in
Cancers(1) (www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/17/3/521
(http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/17/3/521) ).

 

Colorectal cancer

Globally, CRC is the third most common cancer type, accounting for 10% of all
cancer cases. There were 1.9 million new cases and 930,000 deaths from the
disease in 2020. More than 80% of CRC arises from adenomatous polyps and
outgrowths. Around 75-95% of CRC cases occur in people with little or no
genetic risk. Screening modalities such as colonoscopy, faecal immunochemical
tests (FIT), FIT-DNA and cell-free DNA from CRC tumours in blood are current
primary screening tests for early detection and prevention. Unfortunately, the
non-invasive methods lack sensitivity to polyps and early CRC.

 

OBD's EpiSwitch pipeline development has delivered a blood-based Colorectal
No-Stool Test (NST) which shows significant potential as an accurate and rapid
cancer screening diagnostic for early stages of cancer (sensitivity 84% and
specificity 79%) and non-cancerous polyps (sensitivity 79% and specificity
83%). This accurate, rapid, minimally invasive, and cost-effective NST test
was built using OBD's EpiSwitch(®) 3D genomics platform and methodology. For
each patient, NST captures a personal, systemic fingerprint of specific
regulatory network changes associated with early stages of colorectal cancer
and/or non-cancerous polyps.

 

References
(1) "A New Blood-Based Epigenetic Diagnostic Biomarker Test (EpiSwitch(®)
NST) with High Sensitivity and Positive Predictive Value for Colorectal Cancer
and Precancerous Polyps" Ewan Hunter (1), Heba Alshaker (2), Cicely Weston
(1), Mutaz Issa (1), Shekinah Bautista (1), Abel Gebregzabhar (1), Anya Virdi
(1), Ann Dring (1), Ryan Powell (1), Jayne Green (1), Roshan Lal (3), Vamsi
Velchuru (3), Kamal Aryal (3), Muhammad Radzi Bin Abu Hassan (4), Goh Tiong
Meng (5), Janisha Suriakant Patel (6), Shameera Pharveen Mohamed Gani (6),
Chun Ren Lim (6), Thomas Guiel (7), Alexandre Akoulitchev  and Dmitri
Pchejetski Cancers 2025, 17, 521. (https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/17/3/521
(https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/17/3/521) )

 

-Ends-

 

For more information:

 

 Oxford BioDynamics PLC                                              +44 (0)1865 518910
 Iain Ross, Executive Chairman

Paul Stockdale, CFO
 Shore Capital - Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker                  +44 (0)20 7408 4090
 Advisory: Stephane Auton / Lucy Bowden

Broking: Fiona Conroy
 OAK Securities - Joint Broker                                       +44 (0)203 973 3678

 Jerry Keen / Henry Clarke / Damion Carruel
 WG Partners - Joint Broker                                          +44 (0)20 3705 9330

 David Wilson / Claes Spång / Satheesh Nadarajah / Erland Sternby
 Vigo Consulting  Media / Analyst enquiries for OBD                  +44 (0)20 7390 0230

Rozi Morris
obd@vigoconsulting.com

 

 

Notes for Editors

 

About Oxford BioDynamics Plc

Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM: OBD) is an international biotechnology company,
advancing personalized healthcare by developing and commercializing precision
clinical diagnostic tests for life-changing diseases.

 

Currently OBD has two commercially available products: the EpiSwitch® PSE
(https://www.94percent.com/)  (EpiSwitch Prostate Screening
test) and EpiSwitch® CiRT (https://mycirt.com/index.html)  (Checkpoint
Inhibitor Response Test) blood tests. PSE boosts the predictive accuracy of a
PSA test from 55% to 94% when testing the presence or absence of prostate
cancer. CiRT is a highly accurate (85%) predictive response test to
immuno-oncology checkpoint inhibitor treatments.

 

The tests are based on OBD's proprietary 3D genomic biomarker platform,
EpiSwitch® which enables screening, evaluation, validation and monitoring of
biomarkers to diagnose patients or determine how individuals might respond to
a disease or treatment.

 

OBD's clinical smart tests have the potential to be used across a broader
range of indications, and new tests are being developed in the areas of
oncology, neurology, inflammation, hepatology and animal health.

 

The Group's headquarters and UK laboratories are in Oxford, UK. Its US
operations and clinical laboratory are in Maryland, USA, along with a
reference laboratory in Penang, Malaysia.

 

OBD is listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM (LSE: OBD). For more
information, please visit the Company's website, www.oxfordbiodynamics.com
(https://www.oxfordbiodynamics.com/) ,  X (@OxBioDynamics) or LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxford-biodynamics/posts/?feedView=all) .

 

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