TIDMOBD
Oxford BioDynamics PLC
07 November 2018
07 November 2018
Oxford BioDynamics Plc
("OBD" or the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, the
"Group")
Study published in Faculty of 1000 Research identifies
epigenetic changes for monitoring disease progression in
Huntington's disease (HD)
-- There is a high clinical need for a molecular tool to assess disease progression in HD
-- Epigenetic changes identified by EpiSwitch(TM) can
differentiate between healthy individuals, pre-symptomatic HD
patients, and symptomatic HD patients
-- Following a study published earlier this year in amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis(1) , this is the second successful application of
EpiSwitch(TM) in a neurodegenerative condition
-- OBD presented its first epigenetic prognostic biomarkers for
pre-symptomatic HD patients at the Cantor Fitzgerald Global
Healthcare Conference in New York (1-3 October 2018)
Oxford BioDynamics Plc is pleased to note the publication of a
paper in the open access scientific journal Faculty of 1000
Research entitled: "Genomic architecture differences at the HTT
locus underlie symptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases of
Huntington's disease".(2) The results published in this study
provide the first evidence that discrete and measurable epigenetic
changes, in the form of chromosome conformation signatures, are
observable in a Huntington's disease (HD) relevant gene locus.
HD is a fatal, progressive condition that causes degeneration of
neurons in the brain. HD is genetically inherited and is thought to
affect more than 50,000 people in the United States and Europe
alone.(3) Currently there is no cure. Although diagnosis of HD is
well established and is based on a relatively simple genetic test,
predicting the onset of symptoms is difficult and there are
currently no effective molecular tools to assess disease onset or
progression in HD. For example, current disease assessment methods
rely on physician-based surveys which are subjective and some not
specific for HD.
In the study, Oxford BioDynamics' proprietary EpiSwitch(TM)
platform, which monitors epigenetic changes known as chromosome
conformation signatures, was used to assess epigenetic differences
between pre-symptomatic HD patients, symptomatic HD patients and
healthy, unaffected individuals. By analysing small volume blood
samples from a number of healthy controls and HD patients, discrete
and measurable epigenetic changes were observed in a HD relevant
gene locus. These changes could differentiate HD patients from
unaffected individuals and importantly, could differentiate between
pre-symptomatic and symptomatic HD patients.
Given the high clinical need in having a molecular tool to
assess disease progression in HD, these results strongly suggest
that this fast, non-invasive, low-cost assessment of chromosome
conformation signatures using EpiSwitch(TM) can be a valuable
addition to the current prognostic assessment of HD patients,
facilitating improved patient care. Additionally, a simple
molecular readout of disease progression would be beneficial in the
drug development process as a surrogate marker to assess drug
candidate therapeutic efficacy.
Dr Alexandre Akoulitchev, Chief Scientific Officer of Oxford
BioDynamics, and corresponding author commented:
"Huntington's disease is a rare example in which there exists a
simple test to definitively diagnose the disease. However
genetically diagnosed HD patients can live for decades before the
onset of clinical symptoms, and we are lacking in molecular tools
to monitor disease progression in these patients.
Results from this study provide an initial proof-of-concept that
EpiSwitch(TM) represents a novel tool to monitor disease
progression for HD patients. This could provide an "early-warning"
indicator for the onset of clinical symptoms, therefore
facilitating improved patient care and lifestyle planning. In
addition, there are currently over 20 compounds in different stages
of clinical development for the treatment of HD and we believe
EpiSwitch(TM) has the potential to be used as a surrogate measure
of therapeutic efficacy for candidates currently in clinical
trials.
As we continue to expand our pipeline, we are actively looking
to develop strategic partnerships with therapeutic developers,
academic research institutes and non-profit foundations focused on
HD to validate these results in a larger patient cohort."
References
(1) Salter, M., et al. Initial Identification of a Blood-Based
Chromosome Conformation Signature for Aiding in the Diagnosis of
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. EBioMedicine (2018). doi:
10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.06.015
(2) Salter M., et al. Genomic architecture differences at the
HTT locus underlie symptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases of
Huntington's disease. F1000Research (2018). 7:1757 doi:
10.12688/f1000research.15828.1
(3) Rawlins, M. D. et al. The prevalence of Huntington's
disease. Neuroepidemiology (2016). doi:10.1159/000443738
-ENDS-
For further details please contact:
Oxford BioDynamics Plc
Christian Hoyer Millar,
CEO
Paul Stockdale, CFO +44 (0)1865 518910
FTI Consulting
Financial Public Relations
Adviser
Brett Pollard
Natalie Garland-Collins +44 (0)20 3727 1000
Notes for Editors
About Oxford BioDynamics Plc
Oxford BioDynamics Plc (AIM: OBD) ("Oxford BioDynamics") is a
biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of
epigenetic biomarkers for use within the pharmaceutical and
biotechnology industry.
The Company's award-winning, proprietary technology platform,
EpiSwitch(TM), aims to accelerate the drug discovery and
development process, improve the success rate of therapeutic
product development and take advantage of the increasing importance
of personalised medicine.
In particular, EpiSwitch(TM) can reduce time to market, failure
rates and the costs at every stage of drug discovery. Additionally,
the technology provides significant insights into disease
mechanisms for drug discovery and product re--positioning
programmes and enables the personalisation of therapeutics for
patients in the context of challenging pricing environments where
improved clinical outcomes are critical.
Oxford BioDynamics is headquartered in the UK, and listed on the
London Stock Exchange's AIM under the ticker "OBD". For more
information please visit www.oxfordbiodynamics.com.
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END
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