ANGLE PLC (LON:AGL, OTCQX:ANPCY) has shared research that shows its Parsortix liquid biopsy is able to identify a certain type of cancer cell that is indicative of the spread of the disease throughout the body – a process called metastasis.
It was also better in a head-to-head in this regard than the current antibody-based gold standard for isolating circulating tumour cells (CTC).
The two systems were on a par in identifying an epithelial breast cancer line; however, Parsortix harvested “significantly more” mesenchymal prostate CTCs than the traditional method.
Mesenchymal cells are indicative of metastases having undergone a change from the epithelial phenotype.
“Although the transition to a mesenchymal phenotype is associated with increased metastatic potential and worse prognosis, many CTC isolation methods, including the leading antibody-based system, only identify cells expressing epithelial markers,” ANGLE explained in a statement.
The work was carried out by researchers at Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute, Ontario, Canada.
Senior oncologist, Professor Alison Allan, said: "It is estimated that 90% of cancer-related deaths are due to metastatic disease because current therapies are non-curative against these aggressive cancers.
“Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is well established as an important marker of metastasis, giving rise to cells with greater migratory capacity and invasiveness.
“However, many technologies used to detect CTCs rely on epithelial biomarkers. Here we demonstrate the unique attributes of Parsortix which position it as an ideal CTC platform for use in the clinic, including metastatic patients with predominantly mesenchymal CTCs."
