Arquer Diagnostics awarded funding under Innovate UK’s Biocatalyst programme
Funding will be used to prepare for international clinical study to evaluate the Company’s ELISA-based urine test for prostate cancer.
Arquer Diagnostics, which has developed a high sensitivity, high specificity, ELISA-based urine test for bladder cancer, has been awarded £70,000 funding under Innovate UK’s Biocatalyst programme, to be awarded over a 12-month period, starting 1 March 2017. The funding will be used to support preparations for an international clinical study to evaluate Arquer’s MCM5 ELISA-based non-invasive test for prostate cancer, as the company expands the application of its technology into a wider range of cancers.
Arquer’s diagnostic test, the MCM5-ELISA, detects the presence of minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein, a marker for the presence of dividing cancer cells, to accurately diagnose cancer. MCM proteins are excellent biomarkers, being directly involved in cell replication, and are shed into urine by both prostate and bladder tumours. The funding follows the recent appointment of Nadia Whittley as CEO.
The study will utilise urine and semen samples from up to 100 patients, to inform the design of a wider clinical trial expected to commence in late 2017.
Commenting on the funding, Stuart McCracken, Consultant Urologist Sunderland Royal Hospital, UK, and UK Clinical Investigator for the study said: “There is an urgent need to find, and robustly validate, a novel cancer biomarker of prostate cancer. Studies such as this provide evidence that may support a change in the diagnostic pathway and start to allow reductions in expensive and unnecessary prostate biopsies which are very unpopular with patients and are a major financial burden to healthcare providers.”
Nadia Whittley, CEO, Arquer Diagnostics, commented: “We are delighted that Innovate UK has identified the potential opportunity provided by our diagnostic test, particularly as we move forward to commercialise our MCM5 ELISA. The MCM5 ELISA is expected to significantly reduce the number of patients undergoing invasive and costly diagnostic procedures such as cystoscopy and biopsy, as it offers highly accurate diagnostic results from small amounts of body fluid.”
Related News
-
News Patients vs Pharma – who will the Inflation Reduction Act affect the most?
The Inflation Reduction Act brought in by the Biden administration in 2022 aims to give better and more equitable access to healthcare in the USA. However, pharma companies are now concerned about the other potential costs of such legislation. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: What does the changing US Pharma market mean for industry and patients alike?
In this week's episode of the CPHI Podcast Series Lucy Chard, Digital Editor for CPHI Online is joined by James Manser to discuss the political and market changes in the US pharma field. -
News CPHI Barcelona Annual Report illuminates industry trends for 2024
The CPHI Annual Survey comes into it’s 7th year to report on the predicted trends for 2024. Over 250 pharma executives were asked 35 questions, with their answers informing the industry landscape for the next year, spanning all major pharma marke... -
News Which 10 drugs are open to price negotiation with Medicare in the USA?
The Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services, under the Biden administration in the USA, has released a list of the 10 drugs that will be open to price negotiations as part of the new legislation under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). -
News EU Medical Devices Regulation causes unintended disappearances of medical devices for children, doctors state
Doctor groups and associations have appealed to the EU to correct the EU Medical Devices Regulation law that may cause unintended shortages of essential drug and medical devices for children and rare disease patients. -
News 10 Major Drug Approvals So Far in 2023
Last year, 37 novel drugs were approved by the FDA, this was a high number for such a category, and covered many fields including oncology, demonstrating how promising further research is, and how it is only continuing to build. To date, there are alre... -
News Detecting Alzheimer's disease with a simple lateral flow test
A novel rapid diagnostic test for early-stage Alzheimer's disease has been developed using a biomarker binder from Aptamer Group along with technology from Neuro-Bio, the neurodegenerative disease experts. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: outsourcing and manufacturing trends
Listen to the CPHI Podcast Series this June to hear Gil Roth of the PBOA speak with Digital Editor Lucy Chard about the biggest trends and topics to watch in pharma outsourcing and manufacturing at the minute.
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance