Angle PLC, a liquid biopsy company, has signed a contract with Crescendo Biologics Limited, a UK-based, clinical stage immuno-oncology company with an extensive pipeline of novel, targeted T cell enhancing Humabody therapeutics.

Crescendo will use ANGLE’s recently launched Portrait Flex assay in its ongoing Phase 1 trial (NCT04839991) investigating the safety and efficacy of CB307, Crescendo’s first-in-class prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) x CD137 half-life extended bispecific, for the treatment of patients with PSMA positive solid tumors.

ANGLE developed the immunofluorescence (IF) Portrait Flex assay for the detection of epithelial and mesenchymal circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as well as those undergoing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMTing). Additionally, the assay offers the customer the possibility of adding any bespoke protein biomarker, depending on its needs. The assay has high sensitivity and specificity (>90%) for epithelial and mesenchymal CTCs, which are known to be involved in cancer metastasis and drug resistance and was launched in late 2022 as an offering to pharma services customers.

Crescendo will use the Portrait Flex assay in the cohort expansion part of its ongoing clinical study, sending patient samples to ANGLE’s ISO15189 accredited clinical laboratories for processing using the Parsortix system and analysis.

“We are excited to be working with ANGLE to provide an important element of our robust translational package as we seek to further illustrate the mechanism by which CB307 can bring clinical benefit to patients,” said Andrew Pierce, vp translational biology, Crescendo.

Angle founder and chief executive, Andrew Newland, said, “The use of CTC biomarkers in clinical trials is a rapidly growing field, facilitating the identification of druggable targets as well as providing prognostic information, predicting treatment response, resistance, and patient relapse. We are delighted that Crescendo Biologics has adopted our new Portrait Flex assay and we will seek opportunities to expand our relationship going forward. Our menu of Parsortix based CTC assays is building and the pipeline of potential pharma services customers is growing as a result.”