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Leading pharmaceutical companies are lining up to use a pioneering cancer test developed by UK start-up Angle after it received a first-of-its-kind US regulatory clearance.
Angle’s liquid biopsy test captures live cancer cells in the blood that clinicians can use to personalise treatment by understanding the mutations and gene expression in each patient’s cancer.
Shares in the London-listed company jumped almost 60 per cent on the day the Food and Drug Administration gave the test clearance for use in metastatic breast cancer.
The Surrey-based start-up already works with US drugmaker Abbott to use its test to identify patients who will respond to its treatment Herceptin. It is working on a trial in ovarian cancer and this week signed a deal with Philadelphia-based MidLantic Urology to study its test in prostate cancer.
Andrew Newland, chief executive, said other companies had approached Angle since the clearance last week because the test enables them to follow their progress as the drug tackles tumours. Ultimately, it hopes they will develop diagnostics as companions to each drug.
“Our vision is that we’re going to transform the way that cancer is diagnosed and treated for every cancer type worldwide,â€� he said. “So we either have to be a very, very large company, or as we’re currently planning, we have to have many deals with very large companies to achieve that.â€�Â
He said Angle wants to help clinicians who are “flying blind�, trying to work out which treatments a patient will respond to. In metastatic breast cancer, over half of patients do not have a biopsy at the secondary site, or repeat biopsies. “The cancer changes over time so the tissue biopsy becomes out of date,� he said.
Until now, harvesting these cancer cells has been a huge challenge because there is roughly one to every billion blood cells. The company, which grew out of a consulting business helping commercialise intellectual property, acquired the patents behind the test from George Hvichia, a scientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
Investment has been pouring into the nascent liquid biopsy market, funding scientists who hope that a simple blood test can replace more invasive ways of detecting and monitoring cancer. Gene-sequencing company Illumina is acquiring cancer-testing group Grail for $8bn, while other businesses such as Thrive and Freenome have raised large sums in private funding rounds.
Rivals are focusing on developing tests that could be used to diagnose patients with early-stage cancers, before t
My opinion, I would prefer if shares were not offered to Pi's.
Prefer the shares are in the hands of serious investors rather than ' 'Lockdown Betfred dayytrader' types. If PI's want shares they can buy them in the normal way. AN will choose candidates he can trust not to sell out at the first low buck offer that comes along
Don't compare this to SNG, I too held that but sold up at about 160 the CEO/board silence didn't sit right with me. SNG SP was built on board ramping and zero evidence. AGL IP/patents alone are worth more than the current mkt cap. AGL is now totally derisked it could never crash like SNG. The SP may bounce around, but that will be down to day traders and MMs. All my opinion of course
I think you've missed something duster that positive attide was when EC was invested, no he's sold up he's all doom and gloom. Similar to all the threads that want to discuss a placing
Ophidian you were chased away from the Avacta board for the exact same reason, posting carp about having inside information regarding the LFT. How it will be flying out the door by the millions in 2 weeks or whatever. Never happened did it? Don't bring the same agenda here.
Who knows we may get a decision this week, next week, next month. No one knows. But when it does arrive it'll have nothing to do with you or your buddies with friends in high places. Do you have insider's in every company you invest in