Launch of Disease in Motion platform

9 April 2021

Open Orphan plc

("Open Orphan" or the "Company")

Launch of Disease in Motion platform

Open Orphan plc (AIM: ORPH), a rapidly growing specialist pharmaceutical services clinical research organisation (CRO) and world leader in vaccine and antiviral testing using human challenge clinical trials, announces that hVIVO, a subsidiary of Open Orphan, has officially launched its Disease in Motion® platform. This unique data-focused platform includes clinical, immunological, virological and digital (wearable) biomarkers. The Disease in Motion platform has multiple infectious disease applications that are applicable to a wide variety of end users including big tech, wearables, pharma and biotech companies.

hVIVO has been at the forefront of running human challenge studies for more than 20 years and has built up one of the most comprehensive, multi-parametric bio and databanks ever created for infectious diseases. This dataset from the Disease in Motion platform is continuously gathered throughout the onset, progression and resolution of an infection which is enabled by hVIVO's challenge study model. The Company is committed to volunteer patient data privacy and data is only collected from fully consented volunteers in accordance with all relevant privacy guidelines. 

For more information on the platform, please visit www.hvivo.com/DiseaseInMotion  

Cathal Friel, Executive Chairman said: "The Disease in Motion platform includes data from cutting edge wearables that are applicable to a wide variety of end users including big tech, wearables, pharma and biotech companies. As volunteers remain under close observation prior to viral challenge, during disease progression and until resolution, data is captured across the full time-course of the infection, yielding possible insights into the body's response to infection. The Disease in Motion platform currently spans several conditions with plans to expand this going forward.  

As a recognised global leader in supporting the development of therapeutics and vaccines, hVIVO and our team of virological, clinical and regulatory experts are actively in discussion with potential partners to help address the next set of challenges facing humanity."

Interested in becoming a volunteer?

hVIVO recruits many of its volunteers for its challenge study clinical trials through its dedicated volunteer recruitment website, www.flucamp.com. By volunteering to take part in one of our studies in a safe, controlled, clinical environment under expertly supervised conditions you are playing your part to further medical research and help increase the understanding of respiratory illnesses.

Individuals interested in taking part in COVID-19 human challenge study research can learn more at www.UKCovidChallenge.com.

For further information please contact:

Notes to Editors

Open Orphan plc (London and Euronext: ORPH) is a rapidly growing pharmaceutical service/contract research company that is a world leader in testing vaccines and antivirals using human challenge clinical trials. The company provides services to Big Pharma, biotech and government/public health organisations.

Open Orphan runs challenge studies in London from both its 19-bedroom Whitechapel quarantine clinic, opened in February 2021, and its 24-bedroom QMB clinic which also has a highly specialised virology and immunology laboratory on-site. Open Orphan has a leading portfolio of eight human challenge study models for conditions such as RSV, flu, asthma and COPD. In addition, Open Orphan is also developing the world's first COVID-19 human challenge study model as part of the Human Challenge Programme and has signed a reservation contract with the UK Government for the first three COVID-19 vaccine challenge studies.

Building upon its many years of challenge studies and virology research, the Company is developing an in-depth database of infectious disease progression data. Based on the Company's Disease in Motion® platform, this unique dataset includes clinical, immunological, virological and digital (wearable) biomarkers. The Disease in Motion platform has many potential applications across a wide variety of end users including big technology, wearables, pharma and biotech companies. Following COVID-19 there is now a renewed interest and investment in infectious diseases.

Open Orphan's Paris office has been providing biometry, data management and statistics to its many European pharmaceutical clients for over 20 years. For over 15 years, the Company's Netherlands office has been providing drug development consultancy and services, including CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and controls), PK and medical writing, to a broad range of European clients. Both offices are now also fully integrated with the London office and working on challenge study contracts as well as supporting third party trial contracts.

About Reach announcements

This is a Reach announcement. Reach is an investor communication service aimed at assisting listed and unlisted (including AIM quoted) companies to distribute non-regulatory news releases into the public domain. Information required to be notified under the AIM Rules for Companies, Market Abuse Regulation or other regulation would be disseminated as an RNS regulatory announcement and not on Reach.