Diagnostic technology developer Elypta, Stockholm, Sweden, is one of the winners of a phase 2 grant from the EU’s Horizon 2020 program for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and has been awarded €2.35 million.
The grant will fund the first-ever multicenter trial for the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The trial will be aimed at validating the company’s innovative metabolism-based liquid biopsy platform for early detection of recurrent RCC, enabling the test to be launched in Europe and the United States. Elypta was one of 60 European companies from around 2,000 original applicants to receive a phase 2 grant in the latest funding round.
Karl Bergman, Elypta.
Elypta’s new method for early tumor detection involves measuring a unique panel of metabolites whose composition has been found to be altered in the blood and urine of cancer patients, allowing identification of distinct ‘signatures’ using machine learning. Such signatures, or biomarkers, are exceptionally sensitive and can be identified for a variety of cancers. Elypta’s initial focus is on developing a test for early detection of recurrent renal cell carcinoma—the most common form of kidney cancer—and therefore increasing the chances of curative treatment for kidney cancer patients.
“In order to find recurring RCC earlier, we believe more convenient and safe tests such as liquid biopsies are needed,” says Saeed Dabestani, MD, PhD, a urologic surgeon at Lund University and senior associate of the European Association of Urology guidelines panel for renal cell carcinoma. “This would allow for a better selection and closer follow-up of patients, aiming for more curative treatments offered or prolonging life in those who do recur. This grant will enable us to initiate the Aurorax trial, the first prospective multicenter trial in kidney cancer diagnostics, in order to evaluate Elypta’s liquid biopsy platform in this setting in both the EU and United States.”
“We believe our new metabolism-based approach using easily collected blood or urine samples allows for a safe and highly sensitive test that is ideal for close follow-up of cancer patients,” adds Elypta CEO Karl Bergman. “We are therefore delighted to have received this grant enabling the launch of our first pivotal trial for renal cell carcinoma. In the coming years, we plan to initiate more trials to benefit patients across cancer.”
For further information, visit Elypta.
Featured image: Elypta liquid biopsy samples.
