TIDMNCYT
RNS Number : 7994T
Novacyt S.A.
22 July 2020
Novacyt S.A.
("Novacyt", the "Company" or the "Group")
2,000 patient c linical trial using Novacyt's near-patient
testing system initiated in London care homes
Paris, France and Camberley, UK - 22 July 2020 - Novacyt (
EURONEXT GROWTH: ALNOV; AIM: NCYT ), an international specialist in
clinical diagnostics, notes the initiation of a clinical trial by
Queen Mary University of London using the Company's innovative
near-patient testing system. The study is investigating whether
daily COVID-19 testing reduces the infection rate, morbidity and
mortality in the high-risk care home population.
The randomised clinical trial, recruiting up to 2,000 residents
in 50 care homes across east London, is being led by Professor Jo
Martin, President of the Royal College of Pathologists and
Professor of Pathology at Queen Mary University of London. The
study is using a mobile or near-patient testing (NPT) system for
COVID-19 developed by Novacyt (further detail below), which
comprises the Company's COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
test, direct-to-PCR RNA extraction kit (exsig(TM) Direct), and
portable testing instruments (Q16 and Q32 instruments), to ensure
reliable results are received within an hour of testing.
The clinical trial team comprises researchers, medical students
and laboratory experts from Queen Mary and Novacyt. Daily testing,
using Novacyt's NPT system, is being trialled for residents, staff
and visitors in 25 care homes. As the comparator, the other 25 care
homes will receive standard central laboratory testing once a
week.
As part of the clinical trial, the effectiveness of mid-nose
nasal swabs compared to invasive nasopharyngeal swabs will be
evaluated to support ease of use, lower levels of discomfort and
demonstrate more reproducible data.
Professor Jo Martin, Professor of Pathology at Queen Mary
University of London, and lead investigator of the
study , commented :
"This work has the potential to bring a new rapid COVID-19
testing system to those at highest risk and help interrupt
community transmission. If found to be successful in care homes, it
could be very useful in a wide range of settings, helping to make a
quick diagnosis and keep an environment free of COVID-19.
"With rapid daily testing, we can report back to the care home
on the same day, so that they can take action to reduce
transmission in their care home and prevent outbreaks into the
wider community. By undertaking this study in the diverse East
London community, we're hoping to protect one of the most
vulnerable groups in the UK, and the frontline staff who are caring
for them."
Graham Mullis, Group CEO of Novacyt, added :
" We are delighted to be working with Professor Jo Martin and
her expert team at Queen Mary University of London to complete this
important clinical trial. We believe daily testing with our
near-patient testing system, which incorporates the use of our
market leading COVID-19 test, has the potential to reduce the
transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the high-risk care home population
and in a wider community setting. We believe our new system
increases the number of options available for rapid and reliable
COVID-19 testing outside of centralised care and we expect to
launch the system by the end of July 2020."
Novacyt's near-patient testing system
The Company's first COVID-19 test was designed for professional,
central laboratory use only. In this format, the components of the
test are supplied in specific vials which laboratory staff are
required to pipette, along with the patient sample, in precise
volumes, into the reaction vessel. Whilst this is customary in
clinical diagnostic laboratories, for decentralised near-patient
testing (NPT) settings a more direct procedure is required.
Novacyt's objective is therefore to develop a system with a
reduced number of workflow steps for NPT. The Company plans to use
its expertise in PCR testing to coat and stabilise the essential
biological components required for its COVID-19 test onto
laboratory products, such as reaction tubes. As a result, the
laboratory products will be "ready-to-use" on Novacyt's q16 and q32
portable instruments and will only require the addition of a small
amount of patient sample to initiate the COVID-19 test.
Also part of the NPT system is the Company's recently developed
direct-to-PCR extraction kit (exsig(TM) Direct), which extracts RNA
from patient samples and further reduces the number of workflow
steps. As a result, the NPT system is ideally suited to
applications in mobile settings, such as care homes, key hospital
departments and other community locations. The Company expects to
launch its NPT system by the end of July 2020.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014.
- End -
Contacts
Novacyt SA
Graham Mullis, Chief Executive Officer
Anthony Dyer, Chief Financial Officer
+44 (0)1276 600081
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nominated Adviser and
Broker)
Matthew Johnson / Charlie Bouverat (Corporate Finance)
Vadim Alexandre / Rob Rees (Corporate Broking)
+44 (0)20 3470 0470
FTI Consulting (International)
Victoria Foster Mitchell / Mary Whittow
+44 (0)20 3727 1000
victoria.fostermitchell@fticonsulting.com /
mary.whittow@fticonsulting.com
FTI Consulting (France)
Arnaud de Cheffontaines
+33 (0)147 03 69 47
arnaud.decheffontaines@fticonsulting.com
About Novacyt Group
The Novacyt Group is an international diagnostics business
generating an increasing portfolio of in vitro and molecular
diagnostic tests. Its core strengths lie in diagnostics product
development, commercialisation, contract design and manufacturing.
The Company's lead business units comprise of Primerdesign and
Lab21 Products, supplying an extensive range of high-quality assays
and reagents worldwide. The Group directly serves microbiology,
haematology and serology markets as do its global partners, which
include major corporates.
For more information please refer to the website:
www.novacyt.com
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END
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