TIDMYGEN
Yourgene Health PLC
03 November 2020
Yourgene Health plc
("Yourgene" or the "Group" or the "Company")
Partnership with Take2 Health Limited
Yourgene to run genomic test for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC)
Screening in Taiwan
Manchester, UK - 3 November 2020: Yourgene (AIM: YGEN), the
international molecular diagnostics group, announces that its
wholly-owned subsidiary, Yourgene Health Taipei, has signed a
regional marketing and services agreement (the "Agreement") with
Hong Kong based Take2 Health Limited ("Take2"), to promote Take2's
clinically-validated genomic test for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
("NPC"), the Take2 Prophecy Test for NPC (" Take2 Prophecy" ), in
Taiwan and to establish a clinical network for the collection of
patient blood samples. Take2 Prophecy is a liquid biopsy test using
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies to screen patients,
aiming for early detection of NPC (a major type of head and neck
cancer) even before a patient is symptomatic, enabling more timely
diagnosis and treatment.
In addition, Yourgene and Take2 have also signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (the "MoU") to consider granting Yourgene sole rights
to deliver Take2 Prophecy testing services in Taiwan from the
Group's Taipei laboratory.
Under the Agreement, Yourgene will be responsible for driving
the clinical demand of the test in the region, working with
clinicians and healthcare professionals on the benefits of using
Take2 Prophecy, and widely distributing the test to facilitate
early cancer screening in Taiwan.
NPC is prevalent in South East Asia and Southern China than
other parts of the world, with 35,000 to 40,000 deaths per annum(1)
and is sometimes referred to as the " Cantonese Cancer " . Although
rarer than some other cancers, in Taiwan alone there are
approximately 1 , 500 cases per annum, with a roughly 50% mortality
rate. In 2017-2018, data of large-scale clinical trials were
published by Professor Dennis Lo and his team from the Chinese
University of Hong Kong, proving that the survival rate was
significantly improved in patients that were screened, with a
3-year progression-free survival rate at around 97% among cancer
patients (vs <70% in historical cohorts) (2,3) . The data also
demonstrated that a combination of both qPCR (quantitative
polymerase chain reaction) and NGS technologies has effectively
improved the performance of the Take2 Prophecy screening test.
With the exclusive licence to the methods and technologies,
Take2 has made the test commercially available under the brand name
"Take2 Prophecy". Primary care clinicians will be able to make use
of the test in routine screening for general consumers, while
specialists will use it for more specific medical purposes tailored
to each patient's needs. Take2 aims to facilitate early diagnosis
and timely treatments of NPC through the distribution of Take2
Prophecy through Yourgene's region-wide medical service
networks.
Under the MoU, the two companies will seek to establish an
extended formal collaboration by which Yourgene will deliver the
Take2 Prophecy test as a service from its Taipei facility, and gain
exclusive clinical coverage in Taiwan.
Tony Yung, CEO of Take2, commented positively on the
partnership: "The Taiwan health-tech sector has been striving to
establish itself as a front-runner in the genomics field. It also
has a mature health service industry. A high percentage of the
local population is covered by health insurance, and its health
awareness and quality of care are remarkable. We are eager to add
value to its healthcare sector, by providing the finest services
that suit the population's needs. Our partners place much
importance on clinical evidence and adopt only the best
technologies which have undergone carefully designed clinical
trials with good results . This partnership with Yourgene is a
major step in the field of cancer screening and precision medicine
in Taiwan and lays the foundation stone for commercialising more
exciting technologies in the future."
Lyn Rees, CEO of Yourgene, commented: "We are extremely proud to
collaborate with Take2 to help commercialise Take2 Prophecy, a test
which will help enable better clinical outcomes and patient
experiences in the fight against cancer. This partnership is part
of our expansion into the oncology market and precision medicine,
and we look forward to working with Take2 on promoting the test and
developing the service offering."
(1) Mahdavifar, Neda, et al. "Epidemiology and inequality in the
incidence and mortality of nasopharynx cancer in Asia." Osong
public health and research perspectives 7.6 (2016): 360 372.
(2) Chan, KC Allen, et al. "Analysis of plasma Epstein Barr
virus DNA to screen for nasopharyngeal cancer." New England Journal
of Medicine 377.6 (2017): 513 522.
(3) Lam, WK Jacky, et al. "Sequencing based counting and size
profiling of plasma Epstein Barr virus DNA enhance population
screening of nasopharyngeal carcinoma." Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences 115.22 (2018): E5115 E5124.
Yourgene Health plc Tel: +44 (0)161 669 8122
Lyn Rees, Chief Executive Officer investors@yourgene-health.com
Barry Hextall, Chief Financial Officer
Joanne Cross, Director of Marketing
N+1 Singer (Joint Corporate Broker) Tel: +44 (0)20 7496 3000
Aubrey Powell / Tom Salvesen / George
Tzimas
Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited (Joint Tel: +44 (0)20 7710 7600
Corporate Broker)
Nicholas Moore / Matthew Blawat / Ben
Maddison
Walbrook PR Ltd (Media and Investor Tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8780 or yourgene@walbrookpr.com
Relations)
Paul McManus / Lianne Cawthorne Mob: 07980 541 893 / Mob: 07584
391 303
About Take2 - https://www.take2.health/
Take2 is a healthcare start-up headquartered in Hong Kong SAR,
China, which explores, invents, and builds empowering platforms to
harness the power of biomedical sciences and informatics to deliver
better healthcare solutions to communities. Take2 aims to be a key
driver that makes the innovative healthcare inventions widely
accessible to the public in China and across Asia.
About Yourgene Health plc
Yourgene is an international molecular diagnostics group which
develops and commercialises genetic products and services. The
group works in partnership with global leaders in DNA technology to
advance diagnostic science.
Yourgene develops and commercialises simple and accurate
molecular diagnostic solutions, for reproductive health and
molecular genetics. The Group's products include non-invasive
prenatal tests (NIPT) for Down's Syndrome and other genetic
disorders, Cystic Fibrosis screening tests, invasive rapid
aneuploidy tests, male infertility tests and genetic disease tests.
Yourgene's commercial footprint is already established in the UK,
Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Our product development, research service and commercial
capabilities extend across the lifecycle of genetic test
development including regulatory submissions. Through our technical
expertise and partnerships, Yourgene is also extending its genetic
testing offering into oncology.
Yourgene is headquartered in Manchester, UK with offices in
Taipei and Singapore, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange's
AIM market under the ticker "YGEN". For more information, visit
www.yourgene-health.com and follow us on twitter
@Yourgene_Health.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are not historical
facts but rather are based on the Company's current expectations,
estimates, and projections about its industry; its beliefs; and
assumptions. Words such as 'anticipates,' 'expects,' 'intends,'
'plans,' 'believes,' 'seeks,' 'estimates,' and similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These
statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject
to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some
of which are beyond the Company's control, are difficult to
predict, and could cause actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements.
The Company cautions security holders and prospective security
holders not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which reflect the view of the Company only as of the
date of this announcement. The forward-looking statements made in
this announcement relate only to events as of the date on which the
statements are made. The Company will not undertake any obligation
to release publicly any revisions or updates to these
forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances, or
unanticipated events occurring after the date of this announcement
except as required by law or by any appropriate regulatory
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