CLEO to Fast Track Development of Ovarian Cancer Test
Highlights
CLEO signs Collaboration Agreement with University College London (UCL) to accelerate test development, securing access to ~2,000 high-quality blood samples
Samples sourced from UKCTOCS, the world's largest Ovarian Cancer screening trial, to strengthen CLEO’s clinical validation program
Collaboration with UCL and renowned Ovarian Cancer expert, Professor Usha Menon, will evaluate CLEO’s technology in two clinical studies focussed on the pre-surgical and screening markets
The initiative with UCL forms part of CLEO’s broader commercial strategy to deliver its Ovarian Cancer detection technology to the global screening market.
Cleo Diagnostics Limited (ASX:COV) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Collaboration Agreement with University College London (UCL) to access over 2,000 samples from the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS), the world's largest Ovarian Cancer screening trial.
Major Step Forward for CLEO’s Pre-Surgical and Screening Test Development Program
CLEO will use the samples to advance its Ovarian Cancer diagnostic and screening programs. Access to the collection is prioritised based on the potential impact, scientific merit, and alignment with UKCTOCS objectives. In this context, CLEO’s granted access demonstrates confidence in the Company’s potential to disrupt the Ovarian Cancer diagnosis landscape. This is particularly significant considering a key finding of UKCTOCS was that current Ovarian Cancer screening tests did not reduce the number of deaths and cannot be recommended in the general population – creating a significant opportunity for CLEO to solidify its position on the global stage.
Data collected using CLEO’s test will be independently analysed in partnership with UCL, providing unbiased validation of CLEO’s Ovarian Cancer technology.
Commenting on the UCL partnership, CLEO Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Allman, said:
“The opportunity to collaborate with UCL and be granted access to the UKCTOCS biobank is an extraordinary endorsement of our technology and its potential impact. This biobank is one of the most prestigious and rigorously protected Ovarian Cancer resources in the world, and not all applicants are granted access. To be selected reinforces the credibility and potential of our technology to become a globally adopted screening test.
This collaboration will also support and progress CLEO’s staged execution strategy. Integrating UKCTOCS samples into our clinical studies will help to fast-track our development and regulatory pathways — in particular validation of our pre-surgical test, as well as advancing our longer-term goal to deliver an effective screening tool for early Ovarian Cancer detection.”
World-leading gynaecological oncology expert, Professor Usha Menon added:
"The UKCTOCS sample collection is a vital and irreplaceable asset for advancing Ovarian Cancer research. The performance data and evidence behind CLEO’s technology are very encouraging, and we are excited to work with CLEO to assess how its tests can potentially be used in detection and screening strategies to reduce mortality from the disease.”