NetScientific plc (LON:NSCI) shares nudged higher as it revealed portfolio company Vortex Biosciences had moved closer to selling its circulating tumour cell (CTC) capture system in the USA and Europe.
Vortex has registered a Class I medical device with the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and established a CE Mark for the proprietary technology.
NetScientific's chief executive and chairman of Vortex, Francois Martelet, said: "Both the CE Mark and FDA Class 1 registration are significant milestones achieved towards making VTX-1 commercially available in early 2017 and bringing us closer to the sale of the system in the clinical market in the US."
The CE Mark allows Vortex to install systems in the European Economic Area (EEA).
It will initially be distributed for research use only. The FDA Class 1 registration is a first step towards the sale of the system in the clinical market
The Vortex VTX-1 liquid biopsy system is a fully automated benchtop system for collecting intact CTCs.
CTCs, shed by cancer tumors, can potentially allow for better characterisation of the disease, resulting in better treatment decisions.
Cancer cells are traditionally obtained through tissue biopsies but these are costly, painful, often not possible.
Shares added 6.3% to stand at 67.5p.