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Vortex Biosciences to Present Compelling Liquid Biopsy Data in Collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine and UCLA at AACR 2018

Data demonstrates the use of circulating tumor cells for identifying clinical biomarkers, such as EGFR mutations and PD-L1 expression, in patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

London, UK - 16 April 2018 - NetScientific plc ("NetScientific", AIM:NSCI), the transatlantic healthcare IP commercialisation group, announces that its US-based portfolio company, Vortex BioSciences, a leading liquid biopsy company, is presenting compelling new data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Chicago 14 - 18 April, 2018. These studies support the use of Vortex's non-invasive technology in the characterisation of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) for important clinical biomarkers, namely EGFR and PD-L1, which play a pivotal role in the development and progression of certain cancer in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Commenting on the news, Francois Martelet, Chairman of Vortex BioSciences Inc. and CEO of NetScientific said: "The studies presented underscore the potential use of Vortex's technology in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. It is paramount to understand which patients are likely to exhibit a superior response to targeted therapies in order to determine the best treatment algorithm, as well as to contain healthcare expenditure. We firmly believe that Vortex's technology can play an instrumental role in this."

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About NetScientific

NetScientific is a transatlantic healthcare technology group with an investment strategy focused on sourcing, funding and commercialising technologies that significantly improve the health and well-being of people with chronic diseases. For more information, please visit the website at www.netscientific.net

MEDIA CONTACTSteve Crouse415-823-7649steve@vortexbiosciences.com

Vortex Biosciences to Present Compelling Liquid Biopsy Data in Collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine and UCLA at AACR 2018

 Data demonstrates the use of the VTX-1 Liquid Biopsy System in isolating and analyzing circulating tumor cells for clinical biomarkers

MENLO PARK, CA, 14 April, 2018. Vortex Biosciences, a leader in solutions for liquid biopsies, will present two posters at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2018 (April 14-18, Chicago, IL). Data presented at AACR will demonstrate the ability of the VTX-1 Liquid Biopsy System to rapidly collect highly enriched populations of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for the identification of EGFR mutations and PD-L1 expression.

"We have been excited about how well the CTCs are isolated from a patient's blood using the VTX-1 system," said Elodie Sollier, Chief Scientific Officer at Vortex Biosciences. "We are now seeing the potential of utilizing CTCs for clinical applications as we develop workflows for characterizing the cancer biology of these cells."

Poster presentations:

Title: EGFR mutational detection in vortex-enriched CTCs, ctDNA, and comparison to tumor tissue in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients

Date and time: April 16, 2018, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Section 26, poster 25

Summary: This study shows the clinical potential of identifying actionable EGFR mutations in both the ctDNA and the CTCs from a single blood collection tube in NSCLC patients. A workflow is presented that allows for the collection of plasma prior to isolation of the CTCs on the VTX-1 system. The DNA is then extracted from both the plasma and the CTCs to perform EGFR mutation detection in both ctDNA and CTCs. 20 blood samples were studied from 15 NSCLC patients. Combining these sample types resulted in identifying mutations that would have been missed if only the ctDNA or CTCs were examined alone. The results are compared to the EGFR mutations found in the patient's tumor tissue. By looking at CTCs and ctDNA as complementary to each other, a better mutation profile of the patient can be understood.

List of presenters/authors available online here.

Title: A workflow to evaluate PD-L1 protein expression on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Date and time: April 17, 2018, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Section 27, poster 22

Summary: CTCs collected by the Vortex technology were characterized for their PD-L1 expression level. A PD-L1 assay was shown to be specific, sensitive and repeatable for characterizing CTCs. Clinical validation was performed on blood samples collected from a cohort of 3 metastatic NSCLC patients with known PD-L1 tumor status. Preliminary data on patients show heterogeneity in PD-L1 expression levels within a patient. While further work is required, this poster outlines a path forward for a simple, non-invasive method to help identify patients most likely to respond to PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapies.

List of presenters/authors available online here.

CTCs, shed by tumors, offer direct access to the intact cancer biology of the patient. The fully automated, easy to use VTX-1 Liquid Biopsy System represents the next step and a valuable tool in CTC isolation. Inside the VTX-1 chip, unlabeled CTCs in whole blood are selectively trapped while red and white blood cells pass through. Trapped CTCs are then released and collected for downstream analysis. With excellent recovery of intact, viable CTCs, high CTC purity, a low cost per run and a simple, easy to use workflow, the VTX-1 empowers researchers and clinicians to unleash the potential of CTCs. The posters presented at AACR 2018 take advantage of the powerful VTX-1 system to characterize the cancer biology of the patient by detecting well established biomarkers on isolated CTCs.

In previous studies, the VTX-1 system has demonstrated an ability to collect undamaged, intact CTCs with high efficiency and high purity. The posters presented at AACR 2018 are intended to go beyond CTC isolation to characterize the CTCs for the presence of well understood clinical biomarkers.

About Vortex Biosciences Vortex Biosciences is a leader in liquid biopsy solutions with a mission to revolutionize cancer diagnosis, monitoring and treatment by replacing tissue biopsies with simple blood tests. As a first step in achieving this mission, they have introduced the VTX-1 Liquid Biopsy System. The VTX-1 instrument harvests intact circulating tumor cells from whole blood samples for use in downstream research and clinical applications such as patient stratification, monitoring disease progression and drug treatment effectiveness. Vortex is a core subsidiary of NetScientific plc, a transatlantic healthcare technology group with an investment strategy focused on sourcing, funding and commercializing technologies that significantly improve the health and well-being of people with chronic diseases. For more information, visit www.vortexbiosciences.com.

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