ANGLE plc ("the Company")

NEW RESULTS FOR dual analysis of CTC-DNA and ctDNA using Illumina assay and sequencing platform   

Findings in lung cancer show that CTCs can provide additional biomarkers not found in ctDNA from single blood sample

ANGLE invited to present data at EACR-Illumina webinar on 6 February 2025

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 new, successful results for the Company's dual circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) and CTC-DNA workflow using, for the first time, an end-to-end Illumina solution for analysis.

Over the last six months, ANGLE has overcome technical issues to successfully use Illumina assays, coupled with their next generation sequencing (NGS) platform, to provide a complete solution for the dual analysis of CTCs and ctDNA. In the study, ctDNA was first isolated from the plasma and CTCs were isolated and harvested using the Parsortix^® system from a single blood tube taken from 27 lung cancer patients. CTCs and ctDNA were then analysed using Illumina's customised 79 gene lung cancer panel with NGS completed on the Illumina NextSeq 2000 platform.

In the patients that had not received any treatment (n=8), 100% had cancer mutations identified that were identified only in the CTC-DNA and not in the ctDNA.  In patients that had received treatment or were currently on treatment (n=19), 90% had cancer mutations identified only in the CTC-DNA and not in the ctDNA. There were also mutations identified in ctDNA alone that were not found in CTCs. This evidence confirms the importance of including CTC-DNA analysis alongside ctDNA so that clinically relevant cancer mutations are not missed. Analysing both analytes found twice as many mutations, which could be used as potential biomarkers to guide treatment.

As a result of these positive findings and their importance to both companies, Illumina has assigned their entire European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) webinar to ANGLE's findings. The webinar, entitled 'Complementary insights: Exploring the dual analysis of circulating tumour cells and circulating DNA', will present ANGLE's results on 6 February 2025 at 16:00 GMT.

ANGLE is keen to align the Parsortix system with Illumina's NGS instruments and gene panels in the future as the combination enables Illumina's customers to introduce Parsortix-based CTC analysis for DNA dual analysis NGS sequencing, enabling analysis of large gene panels and cancer specific mutations. Illumina is the world's largest provider of NGS systems and assays and has built an installed base of more than 23,000 sequencing systems across more than 9,500 customers in 155 countries.

The webinar is the first joint marketing initiative for ANGLE and Illumina.  Because it harvests intact cancer cells (rather than DNA fragments of dead cells), ANGLE's Parsortix system offers the potential to undertake multiomics by enabling RNA and protein sequencing on Illumina platforms which is not possible with ctDNA. Furthermore, as a liquid biopsy analyte it provides for minimally invasive, repeatable sampling not possible with tissue biopsy. 

To sign up for the live webinar or to access the recording please use the link:

www.eacr.org/meeting/illumina-webinar-feb25

ANGLE Chief Scientific Officer, Karen Miller, commented:

"We are excited at the prospect of combining ANGLE's Parsortix system with Illumina's NGS assays and optimising a workflow that will enable Illumina customers to offer CTC analysis in the future. Furthermore, as our research has previously shown, simultaneous analysis of CTCs and ctDNA from the same tube of blood significantly expands the potential for liquid biopsy research and clinical drug discovery and development. Information provided by these analytes is complementary and has the potential to provide a more comprehensive profile of a patient's cancer when compared to information derived from either CTCs or ctDNA alone."  

ANGLE Chief Executive, Andrew Newland, added:

"We see a substantial opportunity for both ANGLE and Illumina to work closely together and are grateful to Illumina for the opportunity to present our DNA dual analysis data at their webinar hosted by the highly rated EACR."

Background Information

ANGLE has already reported (RNS announcement dated 4 January 2024) on the successful development of a workflow for the dual analysis of CTC-DNA and ctDNA using the Illumina platform with a third-party assay kit (now under option for exclusive licence by ANGLE). In the forty-seven-patient study across four cancer types (breast, lung, ovarian and prostate), a significant number of patients had clinically relevant mutations found in their CTCs that were not present in ctDNA from the same blood draw. This data further validates these findings.

For further information:

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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 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 clinical services and diagnostic products. The clinical services business is offered through ANGLE's GCLP-compliant laboratories. Services include custom made assay development and clinical trial testing for pharma. Products include the Parsortix system, associated consumables and assays.

Over 100 peer-reviewed publications have demonstrated the performance of the Parsortix system. For more information, visit www.angleplc.com

Any reference to regulatory authorisations such as FDA clearance, CE marking or UK MHRA registration shall be read in conjunction with the full intended use of the product:

The Parsortix^® PC1 system is an in vitro diagnostic device intended to enrich circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood collected in K₂EDTA tubes from patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.  The system employs a microfluidic chamber (a Parsortix cell separation cassette) to capture cells of a certain size and deformability from the population of cells present in blood.  The cells retained in the cassette are harvested by the Parsortix PC1 system for use in subsequent downstream assays.  The end user is responsible for the validation of any downstream assay.  The standalone device, as indicated, does not identify, enumerate or characterize CTCs and cannot be used to make any diagnostic/prognostic claims for CTCs, including monitoring indications or as an aid in any disease management and/or treatment decisions.