13 June 2017
Oxford BioDynamics Plc
("OBD" or the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, the "Group")
Oxford BioDynamics targets Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Asia
Oxford BioDynamics Plc ("OBD" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of epigenetic biomarkers based on regulatory genome architecture, for use within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, is to expand its Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) biomarker programme into South East Asia.
Since receiving funding through an Innovate UK grant in December 2014, OBD has been leading a consortium, including the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (University of Oxford), with the aim to discover and validate epigenetic signatures in patients with ALS to be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, using its proprietary EpiSwitch™ platform.
Innovate UK has agreed to expand the project to utilise OBD's Malaysian based ALS network consisting of 30 hospitals, established by OBD's wholly owned Malaysian subsidiary ("OBDM"), to collect a South East Asian sample cohort to complement the European cohort being supplied by the Nuffield departments MND clinic.
The new sample cohort will be used to assess the performance and adapt the EpiSwitch™ assay to a South East Asian cohort with multiple ethnic backgrounds. This expansion opens up an additional market for OBD and will provide a greater understanding of the effects of ethnicity on accurate biomarker stratification of ALS patients across ethnic groups. The project is due to be completed by the end of 2017.
OBD's award-winning, proprietary technology platform, EpiSwitch™ aims to accelerate the drug discovery and development process, improve the success rate of therapeutic product development and take advantage of the increasing importance of personalised medicine.
Christian Hoyer Millar, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford BioDynamics, said:
"We are delighted to expand the OBD ALS programme, which started with NEALS and Massachusetts General Hospital and received the important support of Innovate UK, into South East Asia. We now have the opportunity to utilise non-invasive EpiSwitchTM biomarkers well attuned to local Asian ethnic specificities. With our technology, we are building solutions for quick and effective diagnosis and prognosis of ALS patients and in the longer term, we are aiming to provide early symptomatic and pre-symptomatic diagnosis.
"Regarding prognostic ALS stratification, we are receiving strong support for our programme from all parties involved and see its primary application as improving patient care and de-risking novel ALS therapeutic development."
For further details contact:
Oxford BioDynamics Plc |
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+44 (0)1865 518910 |
Christian Hoyer Millar, CEO |
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Katie Long, CFO |
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Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited |
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+44 (0)20 7710 7600 |
Nominated Advisor and Broker |
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David Arch |
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Jonathan Senior |
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Peter Lees |
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Ben Maddison |
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Shore Capital |
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+44 (0)20 7408 4090 |
Joint Broker |
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Bidhi Bhoma |
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Edward Mansfield |
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FTI Consulting |
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+44 (0)20 3727 1000 |
Financial Public Relations Advisor |
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Julia Phillips |
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Brett Pollard |
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Natalie Garland-Collins |
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Notes for Editors
About Oxford BioDynamics Plc
Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM: OBD) ("Oxford BioDynamics") is a revenue‐generating biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of epigenetic biomarkers for use within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
The Company's award-winning, proprietary technology platform, EpiSwitch™, aims to accelerate the drug discovery and development process, improve the success rate of therapeutic product development and take advantage of the increasing importance of personalised medicine.
In particular, EpiSwitch™ can reduce time to market, failure rates and the costs at every stage of drug discovery. Additionally, the technology provides significant insights into disease mechanisms for drug discovery and product re‐positioning programmes, and enables the personalisation of therapeutics for patients in the context of challenging pricing environments where improved clinical outcomes are critical.
Oxford BioDynamics is headquartered in the UK, and listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM under the ticker "OBD". For more information please visit www.oxfordbiodynamics.com.
