ANGLE PLC, a leading liquid biopsy company, has announced a contract with Eisai Inc. for a pilot study of its Portrait HER2 assay in a Phase II study of the HER2 targeting antibody-drug conjugate, BB-1701. The pilot study, valued at US $250,000, will involve CTC analysis to assess breast cancer patients' HER2 status. Success in the pilot study could lead to multiple large-scale follow-up studies. The Portrait HER2 assay enables quantitative assessment of both HER2 protein expression and HER2/neu gene amplification, identifying patients who could benefit from anti-HER2 ADC treatment.

Andrew Newland, CEO of ANGLE, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "The use of CTC biomarkers in clinical trials is a rapidly growing field enabling longitudinal monitoring of genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic changes." He added that the successful pilot study could pave the way for significant expansion of this line of business.

ANGLE's FDA-cleared and patent-protected circulating tumour cell (CTC) harvesting technology, the Parsortix® PC1 System, enables complete downstream analysis of the sample, including whole cell imaging and proteomic analysis, as well as full genomic and transcriptomic molecular analysis. The company's commercial businesses focus on diagnostic products and clinical services, including the Parsortix® system and associated consumables, as well as GCP-compliant laboratories offering custom assay development and clinical trial testing for pharma.

The global HER2+ breast cancer ADC market is predicted to reach US $3.3 billion per annum by 2030, and ANGLE's quantitative HER2 assay aims to accurately stratify patient populations throughout the treatment pathway, given that HER2 status can change over time. This collaboration with Eisai Inc. represents a significant opportunity for ANGLE to showcase the potential of its innovative solutions in the field of liquid biopsy and cancer diagnostics.