ANGLE’s Parsortix System Demonstrates Broader Ability to Capture Circulating Tumor Cells Versus Other Separation Technologies

GUILDFORD, England–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A rigorous evaluation by researchers at University Medical Centre
Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) of ANGLE’s Parsortix^TM cell
separation system has demonstrated significant advantages of its size
and deformability based enrichment technology, versus marker-based
systems. The research was published online on March 26 in the
International Journal of Cancer in advance of its print
publication later this year.

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The report, A Novel Microfluidic Platform for Size and Deformability
Based Separation and the Subsequent Molecular Characterization of Viable
Circulating Tumor Cells, determined that the Parsortix System
enables isolation of viable CTCs at very high purity and that are ready
for a broad range of molecular and functional analyses. “The system’s
ability to provide numeration and molecular characterization of
EpCAM-negative CTCs will help to broaden research into the mechanisms of
cancer as well as facilitating the use of CTCs in ‘liquid biopsies,’”
the report stated.

According to co-author Prof. Klaus Pantel, Chairman, Department of
Tumour Biology at UKE’s Centre of Experimental Medicine, systems that
can comprehensively capture not only epithelial CTCs but also
mesenchymal CTCs will play an important role in cancer diagnoses and
subsequent treatment.

“Our findings emphasize the importance of developing new label-free
assays that allow the molecular characterization of CTCs for therapeutic
targets and resistance mechanisms at the DNA, RNA and protein level,”
Pantel said. “This information is vital as liquid biopsies will help
clinicians to adapt therapies to the individual needs of cancer
patients.”

To put Parsortix through its paces, a team of ANGLE researchers in
conjunction with Prof. Pantel, working in Philadelphia, Hamburg and
Dusseldorf analyzed the performance of the epitope-independent system in
capture of tumor cells from blood samples spiked with five different
cancer cell lines, and from multiple patient samples including
metastatic breast, non-metastatic colon, metastatic colon, metastatic
lung, and non-metastatic lung cancer. Using the system, UKE researchers
showed average tumor cell capture ranged from 42 per cent to 70 per cent
with subsequent harvest of the cells ranging between 54 per cent and 69
per cent of the cells captured. One of the novel and powerful
capabilities that distinguishes the Parsortix system is that it enables
harvest of captured tumor cells for subsequent further analyses.
Significantly, 99 per cent of the harvested CTCs from both spiked and
patient samples were viable after processing and still functional for
downstream molecular analysis as demonstrated by mRNA characterization
and array based comparative genomic hybridization.

“The epitope independent Parsortix system enables the isolation of
viable CTCs at a very high purity. Using our system, viable tumour cells
are easily accessible and ready for molecular and functional analysis,”
said Dr George Hvichia, the inventor of the Parsortix technology and
CSO, ANGLE plc. “The system’s ability for enumeration and molecular
characterization of EpCAM-negative CTCs will help to broaden research
into the mechanisms of cancer as well as facilitating the use of CTCs as
liquid biopsies.”

A growing body of evidence has shown that cancer cells in the process
of, or that have completed EMT, have increased invasion capabilities,
which leads to the loss of an epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM).
Currently, CTC isolation is still mainly dependent on expression of
EpCAM on the surface of cancer cells of epithelial origin. New research,
however, indicates that EMT plays a significant role in metastasis, and
certain EMT cancer cells lose EpCAM expression. Isolation by techniques
that are independent of marker expression, such as Parsortix, enables
capture of those EMT CTCs, providing a more precise and comprehensive
path to diagnosis and treatment of metastatic cancer.

The results obtained by the collaborating team confirms the system’s
ability to effectively harvest CTCs not only with epithelial
characteristics, but also those in the process of, or that have
completed, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) across a broad
range of cancer types.

About ANGLE plc

ANGLE is a UK-based specialist medtech company commercializing the
Parsortix^TM system, a cell separation technology that enables
a simple blood test to harvest targeted cells, such as circulating tumor
cells (CTCs) for molecular profiling and analysis. Parsortix^TM
can help deliver targeted cancer diagnostics designed to inform
personalized treatment of cancer. It is also designed to be compatible
with existing major medtech analytical platforms and enable companion
diagnostics for major pharma in helping to identify patients that will
benefit from a particular drug and then monitoring the drug’s
effectiveness. ANGLE has established formal collaborations with
world-class cancer centers and is working with these cancer centers to
demonstrate key applications for its Parsortix^TM non-invasive
cancer diagnostic system as a liquid biopsy. In addition to cancer
cells, the Parsortix^TM technology has the potential for
deployment for other clinically significant cell types in the future.

ANGLE’s Parsortix system is available for research use worldwide and is
CE-IVDD Marked for indicated clinical use in Europe.

ANGLE is a public company trading on the AIM market of the London Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol AGL and in the United States on the
OTC-QX market under the ticker symbol ANPCY.

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