Oxford BioDynamics Plc, a biotechnology company developing precision medicine tests for immune health based on the EpiSwitch 3D genomics platform, has announced that its flagship Checkpoint inhibitor Response Test (CiRT) clinical blood test is now available to private physicians considering ICI therapy for their patients in the UK.
The first-of-its-kind EpiSwitch CiRT blood test predicts the likelihood of a cancer patient’s response to the widely used class of therapeutics – ICIs – including anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 immunotherapies. Using a routine blood test, rather than an invasive biopsy, CiRT provides fast, personalized guidance for a physician on expected efficacy, enabling a more considered decision whether to begin or continue treatment.
The robust EpiSwitch qPCR blood test has demonstrated best-in-class performance, with high sensitivity (93%), specificity (82%), accuracy (85%), and a significant negative predictive value (NPV) of 93% [1], across several ICIs from multiple pharmaceutical companies and more than 15 key oncological indications, including melanoma and lung cancer.
This expansion to the UK follows encouraging early uptake by early adopters of EpiSwitch CiRT in the US where it was first launched in February 2022 as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT). The CiRT will initially be available as an LDT to private healthcare providers in the UK. It is only available to registered physicians.
An estimated 2.9 million people were living with cancer in the UK in 2020, a prevalence rate expected to rise to 4 million by 2030 (Macmillan Cancer Support). It is estimated that around 350,000 people are diagnosed each year, amounting to over 1,000 new cases per day (Cancer Research UK).
Despite the potential powerful efficacy of ICIs [2], it has been estimated that they are ineffective for up to 70% of patients treated. The situation is exacerbated by ICIs being some of the most highly priced medicines in the world. The bestselling ICI in the UK has a list price of £84,000 per patient course for the drug alone.
The UK’s NHS and private healthcare systems could save significant amounts, estimated to be close to £1bn, by avoiding or reducing the administration rate of ineffective treatments, through straightforward personalised testing. Savings for the US healthcare system could amount to more than $10bn.