ABCODIA PARTNERS WITH WUXI HIGH-TECH ZONE GOVERNMENT, LOCATING WITHIN THE NEWLY FORMED I-CAMPUS AND ESTABLISHING ITS FOOTPRINT IN CHINA.

CAMBRIDGE, England – September 23rd, 2019 – Abcodia, the leader in ovarian cancer early detection, today announces its partnership with the Wuxi National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone (“WND”) supporting Abcodia’s expansion into China. Abcodia will establish offices in the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Campus (“I·Campus”), which has been created by WND and AstraZeneca. I·Campus is an innovation incubation platform offering services in R&D, commercialization and professional services in the life science industry for domestic and foreign companies looking to establish or expand their presence in China. From this location, Abcodia will work collaboratively with AstraZeneca and other partners in a life science innovative ecosystem to establish its ovarian cancer screening technology in China.

China represents a significant market opportunity for Abcodia, especially in the context of the recently published ‘Healthy China 2030 Strategy’ which has a focus on the implementation of cancer prevention, promotion of early screening, early diagnosis and early treatment, reduction of cancer morbidity and mortality, and improvement of the quality of life of patients. Recent data released from the China National Cancer Centre (NCC)1 reaffirmed 17,000 deaths from ovarian cancer in 2015 and 34,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Recurrence of ovarian cancer occurs in over 70% of treatment of all patients, and prolonged illness is painful and treatment is very costly.

Dr Julie Barnes, CEO Abcodia said, “Choosing the I·Campus as a strategic location for our business in China is an important step forward for Abcodia. China’s Healthy China Strategy aligns well with Abcodia’s early cancer detection strategy and we are excited to be able to gain momentum from being located so strategically on I·Campus to facilitate our commercialization goals.

Mr. Zhu Xiaohong, Deputy Director of WND said “After years of investment, WND has developed a strong foundation in the Life Science industry and we are delighted that Abcodia has decided to land on I·Campus to develop their China business from here. They are one of the first 10 companies to land on I·Campus and as such they will benefit from our focused support as they establish their China business here.”

Leon Wang, Executive Vice President, International and China President of AstraZeneca, said “The vision for I·Campus is to develop an innovation ecosystem that supports foreign companies develop their business in China. We are delighted that Abcodia has decided to co-locate on I·Campus close to AstraZeneca, where they can benefit from our support in commercialization expertise and global networked resources. AstraZeneca has a shared interest in improving outcomes for ovarian cancer patients and we are excited to work together.”

Dr Andy Richards, CBE, Chairman Abcodia added, “China has an ambitious vision to implement early detection of and screening for cancer, and this makes it an exciting place to be introducing Abcodia’s world leading early detection product for ovarian cancer, which results from major UK investment in clinical research. The supportive environment being created by the I·Campus team, AstraZeneca and WND make it the ideal location for Abcodia.”

About Abcodia

Abcodia Ltd is a clinical stage company engaged in the commercial development of novel tests for the early detection of cancer. The Company’s first product is the ROCA Test for the early detection of ovarian cancer. Abcodia’s products are based on the measurement and modelling dynamic changes of clinical variables including test results from serum-based markers before cancer is clinically diagnosed. To support its early cancer detection business, the company holds exclusive commercial access to a biobank of five million serum samples donated from more than 200,000 individuals over a 10-year period.

Abcodia is a privately held company, located in Cambridge U.K. and funded through investments from Albion Ventures, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Scottish Equity Partners and UCL Business. For more information, visit http://www.abcodia.com/.

About the ROCA® Test


Abcodia’s first product, the ROCA Test indicates a woman’s likelihood of having ovarian cancer. The ROCA Test is intended for postmenopausal women aged between 50 and 85, or for certain women between 35 and 85 years of age who are considered to have a higher risk due to family history of ovarian or breast cancer or genetic mutations in, for example, the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. The ROCA test has been evaluated as part of a multimodal screening strategy in several prospective clinical trials in both the U.K. and U.S. involving more than 215,000 women over the past 15 years. The results of those studies show that the ROCA Test, when used with appropriate transvaginal ultrasound as the follow up test, has a higher performance than other currently available methods that have been evaluated prospectively in healthy women. In the clinical studies, the ROCA Test detects the majority of ovarian cancer cases before the first signs or symptoms of ovarian cancer appear.

The ROCA Test is CE marked and is currently available in the UK through private clinics and is being implemented in the NHS for BRCA mutation carriers. The test is not yet commissioned by NHS. For more information, visit http://www.therocatest.co.uk

About the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Campus (I·Campus)

I·Campus is a collaboration between the Wuxi National High-tech District government, Wuxi Municipal government, Jiangsu Provincial government, and AstraZeneca - a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company. Located in the Wuxi National High-tech District with a 300,000m2 core R&D area, I·Campus aims to create an innovation incubation platform that integrates R&D, commercialization and professional services, helping to accelerate healthcare innovation and life sciences in China by attracting and leveraging domestic and overseas talent and resources in cutting-edge healthcare technology.

UK MEDIA CONTACT:
Stephanie Sutton
Abcodia Ltd
[email protected]