Angle gains on breakthrough in cancer diagnostic technology

Angle advanced more than 90 per cent Monday after the medtech company announced a major breakthrough in its cancer diagnostic product Parsotix.

The AIM listed company said it had edged further in the development of Parsortix, a non-invasive technology which captures and counts rare circulating tumour cells (CTC) from the blood of cancer patients.

Angle has designed a process for recovering the captured calls from the Parsotix cassette. The cells are then analysed by a variety of contemporary molecular techniques.

CTC analysis, through the use of such techniques, extends the Parsortix technology's capability and opens up new diagnostic, prognostic and treatment applications for cancer patients.

Angle expects its market to grow as it is the first device designed to recover CTCs. Analysis of CTCs can be used to screen and diagnose patients.

The company said the technology monitors patients' response to treatment in a non-invasive manner without having to perform a tumour biopsy.

Angle's research partner, the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, will be researching the potential for the Parsortix system.

Angle's Founder and Chief Executive, Andrew Newland, said: "This major development means that our system now offers two approaches to analysis of CTCs: counting and identification of cells captured within the cassette; and molecular analysis of cells recovered from the cassette as a liquid biopsy.

"We know from discussions with researchers and physicians that there is market demand for this versatility."

RD