Proteome Regulatory News (PRM)

Proteome Sciences plc

Proteome Sciences signs $2m contract with Genting TauRx Diagnostic Centre to develop diagnostic panels to detect Alzheimer's disease and monitor treatment efficacy

London, September 25th 2014. Proteome Sciences plc ("Proteome Sciences") is pleased to announce that its PS Biomarker Services Division ("PS") has been selected to develop diagnostic products for Genting TauRx Diagnostic Centre Sdn. Bhd. ("GTD"), an affiliate of TauRx Therapeutics Ltd ("TauRx Therapeutics"). The project will involve PS analysing blood samples from patients enrolled in a phase 3 trial of the experimental Alzheimer's drug LMTX, targeting the tau pathway, and from age-matched controls. LMTX is being developed by TauRx Therapeutics for the treatment for Alzheimer's disease of mild to moderate severity.

Key to selecting Proteome Sciences was its established portfolio of blood biomarkers for predicting the progression of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease along with its proprietary TMT-MS3 plasma proteomics workflows. The study will involve blood proteomic profiling of approximately 1,000 individuals and construction of targeted protein panels for detection of Alzheimer's disease and for monitoring of treatment efficacy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Proteome Sciences will receive research fees totalling $2M comprising upfront and milestone payments. GTD will receive a license to Proteome Sciences' existing blood biomarkers for AD and both parties will share commercialisation rights of the diagnostic assays developed.

Commenting on the Agreement, Dr. Ian Pike, Chief Operating Officer of Proteome Sciences said:

"We are delighted that GTD has chosen PS Biomarker Services to develop diagnostic assays in the challenging field of Alzheimer's disease. Having tests that can reliably detect the disease, select the right patients to receive LMTX and monitor their response will be critical in ensuring more people can benefit from this potentially ground-breaking treatment."

"Our proprietary proteomics services using Tandem Mass Tags and MS3 quantification along with our long and successful track record in discovering and developing Alzheimer's disease biomarkers was a key factor in GTD's decision and we very much look forward to working with them."

Dr. Claude Wischik, Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Aberdeen and Chief Executive of GTD added:

"We have been impressed by the work undertaken by Proteome Sciences in the field of Alzheimer's disease. They have made real progress in developing assays for disease detection and have proven technology available for the development of diagnostics. "

"GTD and TauRx Therapeutics bring additional resources and understanding of this devastating condition that will help turn today's research tools into tomorrow's clinical diagnostic products, offering reliable results for doctors at reasonable cost to healthcare systems. Given the large numbers of people affected by tau aggregation pathology 20 - 30 years before the disease becomes visible on the clinical horizon, there is a need to identify persons at risk with a view to use of treatments like LMTX for early stage prevention."

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About Proteome Sciences plc (www.proteomics.com)

Proteome Sciences is a global leader in applied proteomics and peptidomics offering high sensitivity, proprietary technologies for protein and peptide biomarker discovery, validation and assay development. The Company is headquartered in Cobham, UK, with laboratory facilities in London and Frankfurt.

Proteome Sciences' proprietary research has discovered a large number of novel protein biomarkers in key human diseases and is focused mainly in neurological/neurodegenerative conditions and in cancer. It has discovered and patented blood biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease, stroke, brain damage and lung cancer for diagnostic and treatment applications that are available for license or have already been outlicensed.

On 8 July 2014 the Company jointly published research with King's College, London identifying panels of blood proteins with excellent performance for predicting the progression of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease (Hye et al., Alzheimer's & Dementia: the Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2014.05.1749

The Company's PS Biomarker Services division provides outsourced proteomics services and proprietary biomarker assays to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics companies from its ISO 9001:2008 facility in Frankfurt, Germany.