For
immediate release
|
16 May 2024
|
ANGLE plc ("the Company")
INDEPENDENT STUDY OF OVARIAN CANCER
CTCS HARVESTED BY THE PARSORTIX SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS POTENTIAL TO
PREDICT PROGRESSION FREE SURVIVAL FOR DRUG TRIALS
The study investigated 123
metastatic ovarian cancer patients over two and a half years using
the Parsortix system to assess 474 longitudinal patient
samples
Downstream qPCR molecular analysis
of the Parsortix harvest for ESR1 and ERCC1 genes may be an early
predictor of progression free survival and cancer progression
respectively
ANGLE plc (AIM:AGL OTCQX:ANPCY), a
world-leading liquid biopsy company with innovative circulating
tumour cell (CTC) solutions for use in research, drug development
and clinical oncology, is delighted to announce the publication of
a study using the Parsortix® system to identify markers
present in CTCs harvested from metastatic mutant-p53
platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC) patients. The study was
conducted as an offshoot of the European multi-centre GANNET53
Phase II clinical trial (NCT02012192)
funded by the EU 7th Framework Programme (Grant agreement ID:
602602). The study investigated the efficacy of ganetespib in combination with paclitaxel vs. paclitaxel
alone. Patients were enrolled across 12 clinical centres in
Germany, Belgium, France, and Austria.
The translational study, which the
research team believes is the largest study of CTCs in ovarian
cancer (in terms of number of patient samples analysed), was
conducted by researchers at the Medical University of Vienna,
Austria. The study analysed a total of 474 blood samples collected
from 123 PROC patients at baseline (i.e. prior to first
administration of study drugs), and at multiple timepoints over a
period of two and a half years during treatment until disease
progression. A panel of 27 gene transcripts (RNA) was analysed on
Parsortix-harvested CTCs using standard laboratory qPCR
analysis.
The authors identified two
CTC-associated markers with potential prognostic value.
ERCC1, a key gene of the
DNA damage response pathway, was associated with an increased risk
of disease progression and worse outcomes, whereas the presence of
ESR1, a gene encoding
oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα), was associated with a reduced
progression risk. The presence of ESR1 transcripts together with
concurrent absence of ERCC1 transcripts in CTC-enriched
samples at baseline and during treatment cycles was found to be
predictive of improved progression free survival (PFS). Whereas the
presence of ERCCI
transcripts and the absence of ESR1 transcripts at baseline and
during treatment cycles indicated a 12.77× greater likelihood (odds
ratio) of cancer progression.
The analysis of these biomarkers has
the potential to provide an early indication of PFS ahead of
clinical trial results and suggests that CTC characterisation may
be a valuable tool for pharma drug trials in the future.
In addition, the authors conclude
that molecular characterisation of CTCs before and during treatment
has the potential to be a useful tool to monitor ovarian cancer
patients and may provide further insights into the biology of this
difficult to treat disease. According to clinicaltrials.gov there
are 1,024 active interventional studies enrolling more than 825,000
participants in ovarian cancer.
The study is published as a
peer-reviewed journal article in the International Journal of
Cancer and is available online at
https://angleplc.com/publications/.
ANGLE Chief Scientific Officer,
Karen Miller, commented:
"We are pleased to share this
peer-reviewed publication by the Medical University of Vienna and
the European GANNET53 consortium. The paper demonstrates the
potential utility of molecular characterisation of CTCs enriched
using the Parsortix system in monitoring ovarian cancer patients
throughout their treatment and during follow-up. The scale of this
study, both in terms of numbers of patients and timescale of
follow-up, is particularly important. It clearly demonstrates how
use of the Parsortix system in cancer trials could in the future
enable our pharma customers to gain an early understanding of how
patients are responding to their drug."
Ovarian cancer accounted for over
320,000 new cases of cancer, and over 200,000 deaths worldwide in
20221. Diagnosis often occurs at a later stage, and
although patients often respond well to initial treatment with a
platinum-based chemotherapy, many patients relapse and develop
resistance to treatment2.
1.
American Cancer Society. Global Cancer Facts &
Figures 5th Edition. Atlanta: American Cancer Society;
2024
2. Zamwar
UM, Anjankar AP. Aetiology, epidemiology, histopathology,
classification, detailed evaluation, and treatment of ovarian
cancer. Cureus. 2022;
14:e30561
For
further information:
ANGLE plc
|
+44
(0) 1483 343434
|
Andrew Newland, Chief
Executive
Ian Griffiths, Finance
Director
|
|
Berenberg (NOMAD and Broker)
Toby Flaux, Ciaran Walsh, Milo
Bonser
|
+44
(0) 20 3207 7800
|
FTI
Consulting
Simon Conway, Ciara
Martin
Matthew Ventimiglia (US)
|
+44
(0) 203 727 1000
+1
(212) 850 5624
|
For Research Use Only. Not for use
in diagnostic procedures.
For Frequently Used Terms, please
see the Company's website on https://angleplc.com/investor-relations/glossary/
Notes for editors
About ANGLE plc
ANGLE is a world-leading liquid
biopsy company with innovative circulating tumour cell (CTC)
solutions for use in research, drug development and clinical
oncology using a simple blood sample. ANGLE's FDA cleared and
patent protected circulating tumour cell (CTC) harvesting
technology known as the Parsortix® PC1 System enables
complete downstream analysis of the sample including whole cell
imaging and proteomic analysis and full genomic and transcriptomic
molecular analysis.
ANGLE's commercial businesses are
focusing on diagnostic products and clinical services. Diagnostic
products include the Parsortix® system, associated
consumables and assays. The clinical services business is offered
through ANGLE's GCLP-compliant laboratories. Services include
custom made assay development and clinical trial testing for
pharma.
Over 90 peer-reviewed publications
have demonstrated the performance of the Parsortix system. For more
information, visit www.angleplc.com