London, UK – [Date of Article – March 9, 2023] – Vortex Biotech Holdings Ltd (“Vortex”), a leading innovator in oncology liquid biopsy, has announced the opening of a new laboratory at The London Cancer Hub’s Innovation Gateway. This strategic expansion, complementing its existing facility in San Francisco, California, marks a significant step in Vortex’s ambition to become the foremost leader in circulating tumour cell (CTC) capture technology.
The new Centre of Excellence is poised to accelerate Vortex’s drive to leverage CTCs for detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) and cancer recurrence at their earliest stages. By enabling precise characterisation of CTCs, the lab will provide critical insights to inform therapeutic decision-making and foster engagement with biopharma companies through enhanced biomarker strategies in drug development.
Located within the prestigious London Cancer Hub in Sutton, the Innovation Gateway offers a cutting-edge incubator space for life sciences companies. The Hub is also home to The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, two institutions globally renowned for cancer research and treatment.
Vortex’s proprietary “no touch” microfluidic chip technology efficiently captures intact, label-free, and pure CTCs from blood with high yields. These isolated cells can then undergo various downstream analyses, providing researchers and clinicians with vital information on cancer metastasis, treatment resistance, and recurrence.
Paul Jones, CEO of Vortex, stated that the London lab, alongside its California counterpart, paves the way for establishing CTC Centres of Excellence with associated lab services for biopharma customers. This strategy aims to deliver a “step change” in oncology treatment and monitoring, with long-term goals of integrating into clinical health systems worldwide.
Dr. Ilian Iliev, Managing Director of EMV Capital, CEO of NetScientific, and Chairman of Vortex, welcomed the expansion, noting the tremendous growth of the liquid biopsy market, projected to reach over USD 26.2 billion by 2030. He expressed confidence that the new lab will accelerate Vortex’s progress in improving cancer treatment and patient outcomes.
