A Biotech company Oxford BioDynamics, based at ARC Oxford, has been awarded $963,000 to adapt its blood test for the prognosis of cancer patients with acute adverse response.

The company now a public AIM-listed company with global reach, was spun out from Oxford University in 2007 with the aim to translate a world leading platform technology into commercialised precision medicine tests.

The latest funding award has been made in the US through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health’s (FNIH) Partnership for Accelerating Cancer Therapies (PACT) Award and follows the company’s successful execution of a $910,000 grant awarded in August 2021.

Dr Stacey Adam, Associate Vice President, Science Partnerships at the FNIH, said:

“Oxford BioDynamics has demonstrated its expertise in end-to-end biomarker development with its first PACT award.

“The PACT partners are pleased to show their support once again, this time to enable a non‐invasive and more accurate risk assessment of patients having a hyper-progressive disease prognostic profile when being considered for immunotherapy.”

Thomas Guiel, COO of Oxford BioDynamics, said:

“The recognition of the EpiSwitch platform for a second time by the consortium of US federal agencies and top pharmaceutical stakeholders is another validation of OBD’s ability to address the clinical challenges of personalised medicine, cancer treatment, and immune health using our 3D genomics technology and knowledgebase.

“Hyper-progressive response to immunotherapy has been, for too long, a festering challenge on the side of the otherwise highly successful IO field. “Without any prognostic tools, it has become “a bridge too far” for the biomarker industry. We are determined to cross that bridge now for the benefit of the whole industry and patient community.”