The potentially revolutionary cancer cell separation device being developed by ANGLE’s (LON:AGL) subsidiary Parsortix has separated cells in blood from a patient, the IP firm said today.

It is the first time the device has identified circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in blood taken from someone with cancer.

Previously the Parsortix device had identified cultured breast cancer cells, prostate cancer cells and lung cancer cells in “spiked blood”, where the cells had been added. 

ANGLE said the latest test results are significant because a sample of actual cancer patient blood would be expected to contain only a very small number of CTCs and it was not clear if the patient’s disease would adversely affect the device’s performance. 

ANGLE founder and chief executive, Andrew Newland said: “The successful capture of CTCs in cancer patient blood is a tremendous step forward towards our goal of establishing the Parsortix separation technology as a market-leading product, which is simple, effective and affordable.”

The results are the first from the recent research agreement with the University of Surrey’s oncology department. 

Using facilities at the university, Parsortix undertook a series of small volume separations of the blood of late stage prostate cancer patients.  

The blood passed successfully through the device and in a number of separations captured tumour cells were clearly identified and confirmed by the University of Surrey’s oncology team.  

The results compare favourably with the existing FDA approved antibody-based capture technology, ANGLE added. 

Professor Hardev Pandha at the University of Surrey Oncology Department added: “The University of Surrey is delighted to be working with ANGLE on this novel approach to CTC capture.  Effective monitoring of the level of CTCs in patients’ blood offers great potential for the improvement of cancer treatment.” 

Shares in ANGLE have nearly trebled since last September when it announced Parsortix had been successful in early trials to separate cancer cells using its device.

The group said today the next stages for development will include the validation of the separation device for other cancer types, particularly those where the existing antibody affinity capture technology is unable to capture CTCs, such as ovarian cancer.

ANGLE also said it wants to optimise of the device to allow its easy use in the laboratory and to increase the volume of blood that can be screened and the speed of blood flow.

It will also work to get validation of the performance of the Parsortix device by leading independent cancer research centres.

ANGLE believes the device will have huge ramifications for the way cancer is treated and monitored going forward.

As well as detecting CTCs at a very early stage, the device can also help identify if chemotherapy is working or not, which would mean a huge improvement in the way chemotherapy is administered.

The device also has the potential to monitor patients in remission and to pick up early signs of the return of the cancer ahead of the patient experiencing any symptoms.

A simple blood test using the Parsortix device could also provide routine screening of healthy people to check for early signs of cancer ahead of any symptoms, while it could be possible to use the captured CTCs for molecular profiling to help define tumour biology and risk of progression, ANGLE said.

To be sold for use in hospitals the device requires approval from the all powerful US Food & Drug Administration and a CE Mark here in Europe, but research facilities and laboratories do not need regulatory certification.

ANGLE estimates the potential in the clinical and research markets to be worth conservatively around US$4 billion annually in the United States alone

ANGLE owns 90 per cent of Parsortix.

Scientists at the University of Surrey, UK, have made a major breakthrough in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer. they have developed a new way of more reliably detecting the cancer by testing a small urine sample from men, allowing faster testing that could save lives and offer the potential for huge cost savings. the research was enabled by a close partnership between the University of Surrey and the Prostate Project charity. a three-year study, published today (1 March) in the US journal Clinical Cancer Research, shows that a protein called Engrailed-2 (EN2) is made by prostate cancers and secreted into urine where it can be easily detected using the new test that is simple, quick and has the potential to be used in GP surgeries. EN2 is an important protein in the development of the human embryo and, like many similar 'early life' proteins, its production is 'switched off' at birth – but analysis of urine samples from 288 patients by the team at the University of Surrey found that EN2 is switched back on in prostate cancer. unlike the new EN2 test the standard 30-year-old PSA test for prostate cancer involves taking a blood sample and is unable to detect a significant proportion of early prostate cancers, which go on to kill over 10,000 men in the UK every year. the new EN2 test has been proven to be more reliable and accurate than existing tests, said Professor Hardev Pandha, the Prostate Project Chair of Urological Oncology at the University of Surrey's Postgraduate Medical School. "in this study we showed that the new test was twice as good at finding prostate cancer as the standard PSA test. only rarely did we find EN2 in the urine of men who were cancer free so, if we find EN2 we can be reasonably sure that a man has prostate cancer. EN2 was not detected in men with non-cancer disorders of the prostate such as prostatitis or benign enlargement. these conditions often cause a high PSA result, causing considerable stress for the patient and sometimes also unnecessary further tests such as prostate biopsies." With the current EN2 test, men provide a small urine sample either in the surgery or at home which their doctor sends to a lab. Professor Pandha said the testing method could, in the near future, be made into an even simpler ‘desktop’ test that a family doctor could perform in their surgery. the prospect of an immediate result that doesn’t involve a blood test or an embarrassing examination may be helpful in getting more men with urinary symptoms to seek medical help, he added. "unlike the development of drug treatments, the time taken to verify the potential of EN2 in the diagnosis of prostate cancer is relatively modest," said co-researcher Dr Richard Morgan, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Oncology at the University of Surrey. "we are preparing several large studies in the UK and in the US and although the EN2 test is not yet available several companies have expressed interest in taking it forward." Patients were tested at St George's Hospital, University of London, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, and Basingstoke Hospital. the research was funded by the University of Surrey and the Prostate Project charity. Scientist, medical doctor, and TV presenter Professor Robert Winston, who champions public engagement with science, said: “This is an exciting discovery which advances the early detection of this cancer. It also shows just how vital the research carried out in universities such as Surrey really is in helping to find faster, better solutions to some of the healthcare challenges that face us all." Chairman of the Prostate Project Colin Stokes said: "we are all elated at this development. Huge credit must go to Professor Pandha, Dr Morgan and their outstanding team of researchers at the University of Surrey. I would like to thank everyone who has given their time and money so generously to our charity which has helped make today’s announcement possible. some individuals and companies have been outstandingly generous. the charity is run entirely by volunteers and 98% of all the funds we raise for research go to the work at the University of Surrey and this has paid off handsomely. All our work over the last seven years has been geared to days like today – when we really do give men a better chance of beating prostate cancer."

For more information:prostate-project.org.uk

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Last updated on: 01/03/2011 17:30:49