Partnership with Oxford BioDynamics to offer new oncology blood tests

Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM: OBD, the “Company”), a biotechnology company developing precision medicine tests based on the EpiSwitch® 3D genomics platform, and The London Clinic, one of the UK’s leading private hospitals, have signed an agreement to give The London Clinic patients access to OBD’s EpiSwitch PSE (EpiSwitch Prostate Screening) and EpiSwitch CiRT (Checkpoint inhibitor Response Test) blood tests.

Dr Rowan Miller, Clinical Director for Oncology at The London Clinic said,

“We know that cancer treatment outcomes are hugely influenced by accurate and early diagnosis, and it’s crucial we give our doctors the tools they need to predict if patients will respond to potentially life-saving medicines. The qualities of OBD’s accurate PSE and CiRT tests align with our commitment to providing cutting-edge innovation and excellence in personalised patient care. Both of these tests can play an important part in helping our doctors and patients save valuable time in making an informed decision about their health, and getting on track to receiving the required care.”

What are the tests? 

OBD’s EpiSwitch PSE test is a blood test that boosts the predictive accuracy of a standard PSA test from 55% to 94% when testing for the presence or absence of prostate cancer, which was launched in the UK and US in September 2023 (see www.94percent.com). The PSE test is the culmination of nearly ten years of collaborative work between OBD, Imperial College London, the University of East Anglia, Imperial College NHS Trust, and leading UK prostate cancer experts, as part of the PROSTAGRAM screening pilot. As well as a high 94% accuracy, PSE offers high specificity, 97% (standard PSA alone: 53%), and high sensitivity, 86% (PSA: 64%), as well as high positive, 93% (PSA: 25%1), and high negative, 95% (PSA: 86%1) predictive values to assess the risk of prostate cancer in men, published in the peer-reviewed publication, Cancers2.

The EpiSwitch CiRT test will be available to The London Clinic doctors considering treating their cancer patients with a widely used class of cancer therapies: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs)3. CiRT is a routine blood test that accurately identifies patients who will respond to ICI therapy with a binary result (responder vs. non-responder) to support first-line treatment planning, and make more informed treatment decisions when no benefit or disease progression is observed, or adverse events occur. The test can also identify ICI candidates in patients where other options have been exhausted or other tests are negative for use (see www.myCiRT.com).

Dr Jon Burrows, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford BioDynamics, said: 

“There is a clear need for more accurate, minimally-invasive blood tests for detecting prostate cancer and predicting response to immunotherapy. Through this new partnership with The London Clinic we are delivering potentially life-changing blood tests, which can safeguard the wellbeing of at-risk patients whilst reducing the cost of care. This agreement follows our earlier joint announcement with Bupa UK to provide coverage for the EpiSwitch CiRT test. Joining forces with a world-class hospital like The London Clinic will enhance access to the EpiSwitch PSE and CiRT tests in a centre of excellence in the heart of London.

This agreement presents an important new point of patient access for the EpiSwitch PSE and CiRT tests.”