TIDMOBD
RNS Number : 6267I
Oxford BioDynamics PLC
15 December 2020
Oxford BioDynamics plc
Oxford BioDynamics to expand strategic focus beyond biomarker
discovery to development and commercialization of laboratory
tests
-- EpiSwitch(TM) platform has been proven to stratify patients
for many biological indications and is well validated in pharma
biomarker discovery; it is now directly applicable to the precision
medicine market
-- Complementary strategy to expand technology platform into
multiple commercial pathways, including laboratory tests based on
EpiSwitch(TM) 3D genomics for near term commercialization
-- First 3D genomic test to assess Covid-19 severity to be launched in Q1 2021
-- Immuno-oncology (IO) test expected to follow on in 2021 based
on successful stratifications detailed and publicised last year at
the SITC oncology conference
-- Array-Kit for R&D and EpiSwitch(TM) data analytics portal expected to follow on in 2021
Oxford, UK - 15 December 2020 - Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM:
OBD, the Company), a biotechnology company developing precision
medicine tests for personalized healthcare based on the EpiSwitch
(TM) 3D genomics platform, announces the expansion of its strategic
focus.
Since his appointment in March 2020, the Company's new CEO, Dr
Jon Burrows, has been assessing Oxford BioDynamics' business, its
EpiSwitch(TM) technology, and ways in which the Company can unlock
its considerable growth potential and bring its technology pipeline
rapidly into the precision medicine market.
Reviewing 2020, the Covid-19 crisis caused some slowdowns across
the pharma/biotech industry, however, Oxford Biodynamics was able
to continue working on samples delivered under a Master Services
Agreement signed last December with a world leading publicly quoted
pharma company, with which management continues to work closely.
Also, after an initial delay due to Covid-19, the Company has now
started to receive samples from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, enabling
it to continue working on the biomarker program for its already
approved ALS drug.
By June 2020, the Company started to use its know-how and
resources to develop its proprietary Covid-19 severity test which
has been completed in less than six months, a great achievement for
the OBD team.
Dr Jon Burrows, CEO of Oxford BioDynamics, said:
"Having worked for over two decades in molecular medicine and
diagnostics, I believe that, through precision medicine, 3D
genomics will play a prominent role in how personalized healthcare
evolves. My decision to join Oxford BioDynamics was primarily
driven by this, as well as seeing the innovation inherent in the
Company's technology, EpiSwitch(TM), and the experience of the team
behind it. Over the last several months, these qualities have very
much been confirmed.
"The Company's EpiSwitch(TM) technology is built on 1 million
data points for each patient and is closely linked to clinical
outcomes. Based on these strengths, we can offer critical insights
into how an individual is affected by disease, beyond the scope of
other molecular testing such as next generation sequencing or
traditional epigenetics. This has led to the first step in the
expanded strategy, to develop a Covid-19 "severity-of-response"
test."
OBD's strategy to date has been to work with big pharma on
biomarker development projects, incorporating EpiSwitch(TM) into
clinical development projects, and to capture value in third party
validation of the technology through licensing, milestones, and
royalty deals. This sales channel will continue as a part of OBD's
expanded strategic focus. In addition, OBD now intends to offer its
precision medicine testing via partner laboratories, starting with
a Covid-19 severity-of-response prognostic test. The Directors
believe that having multiple commercial options will enable the
Company to leverage its existing technology pipeline, while
recognition from commercial partners will further underpin its
growth. This strategy expansion is now under way.
Using the previously demonstrated power of the EpiSwitch(TM) 3D
genomics platform, OBD is completing the development of a Covid-19
severity of response test, built on a representative international
set of Covid-19 patient cohorts from Europe, USA, and Latin
America. The aim of this test is to provide crucial information to
address the open medical questions regarding an individual's risk
of disease severity and need for hospitalization, including
intensive care unit support. The Directors believe this represents
a significant opportunity for the Company to contribute to solving
the immediate needs of the global population, as well as further
validating the EpiSwitch(TM) 3D genomics platform as a practical
tool for precision medicine and personalized healthcare.
The Company is also looking to continue to work on other
products and indications such as rheumatoid arthritis and lymphoma
(ref 1-3). The first follow-on test in the pipeline for 2021 will
be a predictive immune response profile for immuno-oncology (IO)
checkpoint inhibitor treatments (ref 4,5). Some patients respond
more positively than others to these medicines. The aim of the
EpiSwitch(TM) IO response test is to help physicians stratify
complete and partial responders in advance of treatment, enabling
better treatment options for each individual.
In terms of other sales channels for 2021 and 2022, OBD intends
to make its biomarker arrays and 3D genome bioinformatics tools
available to the R&D market and to work closely with big pharma
to leverage the insights of the 3D genome knowledgebase it has
built.
Underpinning this strategy is a continuation of broadening and
strengthening the intellectual property base behind EpiSwitch(TM).
The Company has recently been granted another US patent: "Methods
of Detecting Long Range Chromosomal Interactions" International
Application.
Dr Burrows concluded:
"We believe that by working across multiple commercial channels,
we can leverage the commercial potential of the EpiSwitch(TM)
technology, to support traction and grow market adoption. Adding
additional commercial pathways allows us to take control of our own
future, and significantly reduces some of the timelines to market
and subsequent revenue generation. The pharma industry is always
looking for innovative technologies that are reduced to practice,
have been proven and can answer questions that existing molecular
modalities cannot. I believe EpiSwitch(TM) can make a significant
contribution and have a substantial impact on the field of
precision medicine."
-Ends-
For more information:
Oxford BioDynamics Plc Tel: +44 (0)1865 518910
Jon Burrows, CEO
Alexandre Akoulitchev, CSO
Paul Stockdale, CFO
Shore Capital - Nominated Adviser and Tel: +44 (0)20 7408 4090
Broker
Edward Mansfield / John More
Instinctif Partners Tel: +44 (0)20 7457 2020
Melanie Toyne-Sewell / Agnes Stephens OxfordBioDynamics@instinctif.com
/ Katie Duffell
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Oxford BioDynamics Plc
Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM: OBD) is a global biotechnology
company, advancing personalized healthcare by developing and
commercializing precision medicine tests for life-changing
diseases.
The Company has developed a proprietary 3D genomic biomarker
platform, EpiSwitch(TM), which can build molecular diagnostic
classifiers for prediction of response to therapy, patient
prognosis, disease diagnosis and subtyping, and residual disease
monitoring in a wide range of indications.
Oxford BioDynamics has participated in more than 40 partnerships
with big pharma and leading institutions including Pfizer, EMD
Serono, Genentech, Roche, Biogen, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma.
The Company has created a valuable technology portfolio,
including biomarker arrays, molecular diagnostic tests,
bioinformatic tools for 3D genomics and an expertly curated 3D
genome knowledgebase comprising hundreds of millions of data points
from over 10,000 samples in more than 30 human diseases.
OBD is headquartered in Oxford, UK and is listed on AIM of the
London Stock Exchange. It also has a commercial team in the US and
a reference laboratory in Penang, Malaysia
For more information, please visit the Company's website,
www.oxfordbiodynamics.com , or follow on Twitter or LinkedIn .
About EpiSwitch(TM)
The 3D configuration of the genome plays a crucial role in gene
regulation. By mapping this architecture and identifying abnormal
configurations, EpiSwitch(TM) can be used to diagnose patients or
determine how individuals might respond to a disease or
treatment.
Built on over 10 years of research, EpiSwitch(TM) is Oxford
Biodynamics' award-winning, proprietary platform that enables
screening, evaluation, validation and monitoring of 3D genomic
biomarkers. The technology is fully developed, based on testing of
over 10,000 samples in 30 disease areas, and reduced to
practice.
In addition to stratifying patients with respect to anticipated
clinical outcome, EpiSwitch(TM) data offer insights into systems
biology and the physiological manifestation of disease that are
beyond the scope of other molecular modalities. The technology has
performed well in academic medical research settings and has been
validated through its integration in biomarker discovery and
clinical development with big pharma.
Oxford BioDynamics is leveraging its leading technology to
develop a pipeline of tests in a wide range of indications, such as
Covid-19 severity, immuno-oncology, neurodegenerative and
autoimmune diseases.
Selected References:
1. Hunter, E. , McCord, R., Ramadass, A. S., Green, J., Westra,
J. W., Mundt, K., & Akoulitchev, A. (2020). Comparative
molecular cell-of-origin classification of diffuse large B-cell
lymphoma based on liquid and tissue biopsies. Translational
Medicine Communications, 5(1).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41231-020-00054-1 (prognostic for B cell
lymphoma)
2. Carini, C., Hunter, E. , Scottish Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
Inception cohort Investigators., Ramadass, A. S., Green, J.,
Akoulitchev, A., McInnes, I. B., & Goodyear, C.S. (2018).
Chromosome conformation signatures define predictive markers of
inadequate response to methotrexate in early rheumatoid arthritis.
J Trans. Med, 16(18). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12976-018-1387-19
(predictive for inadequate response to MTX in rheumatoid
arthritis)
3. Grand, F. H., Salter, M., Hunter, E., & Akoulitchev, A.
(2019). Ectopic Gene Deregulations and Chromosome Conformations:
Integrating Novel Molecular Testing into Clinical Applications,
from Leukemias to Gliomas. Handbook of Biomarkers and Precision
Medicine (1st ed.), Chapman and Hall/CRC, 208-216.
https://www.routledge.com/Handbook-of-Biomarkers-and-Precision-Medicine/Carini-Fidock-Gool/p/book/9781498762588
(expert chapter contribution for 3D genomics -)
4. Hunter, E., Potluri, S., Zhang, S. Dezfouli, M., Back, J.,
James, L., Jandor, N., Powell, R., Salter, M., Ramadass, A., Green,
J., Westra, W., Dong, H., Dronca, R., Markovic, S. N., Robbins, P.
B., Cai, T., Akoulitchev, A., & Shah, P. K. (2019). Development
and validation of baseline predictive biomarkers for response to
avelumab in second-line (2L) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
using EpiSwitch (TM) epigenetic profiling. SITC, J. Immunotherapy
Cancer 7(282) P142.
https://www.oxfordbiodynamics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SITC2019_P142_avelumab.pdf
(IO for Avelumab with Pfizer and EMD Serono)
5. Hunter, E., Potluri, S., Zhang, S. Dezfouli, M., Back, J.,
James, L., Jandor, N., Powell, R., Salter, M., Ramadass, A., Green,
J., Westra, W., Dong, H., Dronca, R., Markovic, S. N., Robbins, P.
B., Cai, T., Akoulitchev, A., & Shah, P. K. (2019). Development
and validation of baseline predictive biomarkers for response to
immuno-checkpoint treatments in the context of multi-line and
multi-therapy cohorts using EpiSwitch (TM) epigenetic profiling.
SITC, J. Immunotherapy Cancer 7(282) P143.
https://www.oxfordbiodynamics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SITC2019_P143_multitherapy.pdf
( IO for Avelumab with Pfizer and EMD Serono)
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