Activiomics Ltd.. (9/30/13). "Press Release: Activiomics Extends Capability to Clinical Biomarker Discovery and Appoints CEO". London.

	Organisation	Activiomics Ltd.
	Group	Retroscreen Virology (Group)
	Organisation 2	Genentech (Group)
	Group	Roche (Group)
	Product	TIQUAS technology (Targeted In-depth Quantification of cell Signalling)
	Product 2	biomarker discovery technology
	Index term	Kyowa Hakko Kirin–Activiomics: mass spectrometry services, 201309– supply extension research services w TIQUAS technology within BioFocus partnership
	Person	FitzGerald, Kevin (Activiomics 201304– CEO F-Star 201104–201205 CEO LEFT 5/12 + Isogenica + CAT)

Internal and partnered biomarker discovery directly from clinical samples

Activiomics, an emerging leader in proteomics and phosphoproteomics technologies, today announced the successful completion of validation studies showing the utility of TIQUAS, the company's proprietary technology, for the identification of prognostic and predictive biomarkers.

The company has optimised a suite of advanced, label-free mass spectrometry technologies that enables it to identify and quantify proteins and phosphoproteins, directly from clinical samples, that correlate with the progression of disease and/or with outcomes associated with the administration of drugs. The company now intends to apply TIQUAS to the establishment of a pipeline of biomarker assets comprising the identified proteins and phosphoproteins along with their companion diagnostic antibody reagents.

The news follows a recent announcement of an extension to the company's collaboration with Kyowa Hakko Kirin, a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company, which builds on successful previous collaborations with seven other biotechnology/pharmaceutical company partners including Genentech, UCB Celltech and GSK.

In order to further advance the company's proprietary biomarker assets, Activiomics recently appointed Dr Kevin FitzGerald as CEO. Dr FitzGerald brings to Activiomics more than 20 years' biotechnology industry experience encompassing R&D roles at Cambridge Antibody Technology and executive leadership roles at Isogenica Ltd (founder and CEO), Immune Targeting Systems (COO) and F-star (CEO).

Commenting on recent progress at Activiomics, Dr Fitzgerald said: "I have been extremely impressed by the quantity and very high quality of the data that TIQUAS is capable of delivering both for internal discovery purposes and for client-funded programmes. TIQUAS is able to identify and quantify the global phosphorylation status of cells and tissues, which provides a direct read-out of the biological processes that underpin disease progression as well as responses to drug administration. Biomarkers that are the direct modulators of biological processes will therefore yield high-precision correlates of disease and therapeutic activity and will result in the high specificity, high sensitivity molecular diagnostic products that are needed for the emerging fields of stratified and personalised medicine."

For more information, please contact:

80th Atom
Adam Michael
Tel: +44 1223 511338
Fax: +44 777 588 1813
Email: Adam@80thAtom.com

Activiomics
Kevin FitzGerald PhD MBA
CEO
Tel: +44 845 5195 091

About Activiomics - www.activiomics.com

Headquartered in London, UK, Activiomics Ltd. is a privately owned spin-out company from the Barts Cancer Institute (BCI), ranked one of the top five cancer research centres in the UK and a Queen Mary University of London campus. The company was founded in 2009 through investment from a number of sources including IP Group.

Activiomics has developed a ground-breaking patented technology that will enable a transformation in the way in which biomarkers are identified, diagnostics are developed and drug candidates are identified and profiled.

Activiomics' technology centres around novel mass spectrometry based approaches for the global quantitative analysis of the proteome and of the phosphorylation status of cells and tissues. Phosphorylation is a critical mediator in all cellular processes and hence phosphorylated proteins represent an important class of novel biomarkers. Activiomics' TIQUAS (Targeted In-depth QUAntification of cell Signalling) technology enables the quantification of thousands of phosphorylation events from a given cell or tissue sample and the subsequent markers of response that are identified will enable the development of future diagnostics

Activiomics is using primary breast cancer samples to generate proof-of-concept data and high value data packages for novel predictive and prognostic markers of disease. Additionally, Activiomics commercialises its technology by partnering directly with large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in bespoke programmes of work. Recent partners include Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Genentech, UCB and GlaxoSmithKline.

Record changed: 2016-01-10