Abcodia Partners with Wuxi High-Tech District to Enter China Market, Files Prospectus for ROCA Ovarian Cancer Screening Test

On September 23, 2019, Abcodia, a leader in the field of early detection for ovarian cancer, announced in Cambridge, UK, a collaboration with the Wuxi National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone (hereinafter referred to as “Wuxi Hi-Tech District”) to support its entry into the Chinese market. Abcodia plans to establish its office within the Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park (hereinafter referred to as the “Innovation Park”), jointly developed by Wuxi Hi-Tech District and AstraZeneca.

The Innovation Park is an innovation incubation platform designed to provide R&D, commercialization, and professional services to domestic and international companies in the life sciences sector seeking to enter or expand into the Chinese market. Building on this foundation, Abcodia will collaborate with AstraZeneca and other partners within the life sciences innovation ecosystem to jointly promote the application of its ovarian cancer screening technology in China.

China represents a significant market opportunity for Abcodia, particularly against the backdrop of the recently released “Outline of the Healthy China 2030 Strategic Plan.” This strategy focuses on implementing cancer prevention, promoting early screening and early diagnosis and treatment, reducing cancer incidence and mortality rates, and improving patients’ quality of life. Data recently released by the National Cancer Center of China further confirms that in 2015, 17,000 people died from ovarian cancer, with 34,000 new cases diagnosed annually. The post-treatment recurrence rate for ovarian cancer exceeds 70%, causing immense suffering and imposing high treatment costs on patients due to the chronic nature of the disease.

Dr. Julie Barnes, CEO of Abcodia, stated, “Selecting the Innovation Park as the strategic location for our business development in China marks a significant step forward for Abcodia. China’s ‘Healthy China Strategy’ aligns closely with Abcodia’s strategy for early cancer detection. We are excited that this strategic choice will drive our growth and help us achieve our commercialization objectives.”

Zhu Xiaohong, Deputy Director of the Wuxi High-Tech Zone Administrative Committee, stated, “After years of investment, Wuxi High-Tech Zone has laid a solid foundation for the life sciences industry. We are delighted that Abcodia has decided to settle in the Innovation Park and develop its business in China. As one of the first ten companies to enter the park, Abcodia’s business development in China will receive our key support.”

Lei Wang, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and President of the International Business Unit and China, stated: “The vision of the Innovation Park is to build an innovative ecosystem that supports foreign companies in expanding their businesses in China. We are delighted that Abcodia has decided to become our neighbor and join us in the park. Within the park, we will leverage our specialized commercial expertise and global resource network to provide them with support. AstraZeneca and Abcodia share a common interest in improving prognoses for patients with ovarian cancer, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to work together.”

Dr. Andy Richards, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and Chairman of Abcodia, added, “China’s ambitious vision for implementing early cancer detection and screening makes it an ideal market for Abcodia’s ovarian cancer early detection products. Abcodia’s world-leading ovarian cancer early detection products benefit from the UK’s substantial investment in clinical research. The supportive ecosystem fostered jointly by the Innovation Park team, AstraZeneca, and Wuxi High-Tech District has made the Innovation Park an ideal location for Abcodia.”

Abcodia Ltd. is a clinical research company dedicated to the commercial development of innovative tests for early cancer detection. The company’s first product is the Risk for Ovarian Cancer Algorithm (ROCA) test, designed for the early detection of ovarian cancer. Abcodia’s products are based on the measurement and modeling of dynamic changes in clinical variables, including results from serum marker tests obtained prior to the clinical diagnosis of cancer. To support its early cancer detection business, the company holds exclusive commercial access to a biobank that has collected 5 million serum samples from over 200,000 donors over a period of 10 years.

Abcodia is a privately held company based in Cambridge, UK, jointly funded by the investment management firm Albion Ventures, Cambridge Innovation Capital, the venture capital firm Scottish Equity Partners, and UCL Business, the technology transfer company of University College London.

The Risk for Ovarian Cancer Algorithm (ROCA) test is Abcodia’s first product, designed to assess a woman’s likelihood of developing ovarian cancer. It targets postmenopausal women aged 50 to 85, as well as women aged 35 to 85 who are considered at higher risk due to a family history of ovarian or breast cancer or genetic mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Over the past 15 years, several prospective clinical trials in the United Kingdom and the United States, involving more than 215,000 women, have evaluated the ROCA test as part of a multimodal screening strategy. The results of these studies indicate that, when supplemented with appropriate transvaginal ultrasound as a follow-up test, the ROCA test outperforms other current methods that have been prospectively assessed in healthy women. In clinical studies, the ROCA test has been able to identify the majority of ovarian cancer cases before the appearance of early signs or initial symptoms.

The ROCA test has obtained European conformity certification. It is currently available through private clinics in the UK, and the UK National Health Service (NHS) has applied this technology to detect BRCA mutation carriers. However, the test has not yet been commissioned by the NHS.

Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park is jointly established by the Jiangsu Provincial Government, the Wuxi Municipal Government, the Wuxi New District Government, and AstraZeneca, a science-led global biopharmaceutical company. Located in Wuxi New District, the Innovation Park features a core R&D area spanning 300,000 square meters. It aims to create an integrated innovation incubation platform combining research and development, commercialization, and professional services, thereby attracting and leveraging top-tier medical technology talent and resources from both domestic and international sources to drive healthcare innovation and the development of life sciences in China.