H2020 backs DiviTum™ clinical studies evaluation
A biotech company has announced it is receiving funding from phase two of Horizon 2020’s SME Instrument.
Biovica’s ‘Clinical validation of the DiviTum assay in two high profile clinical studies in Europe’ is receiving €682,000, and is carried out in collaboration with a European cancer study group and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
The project is focusing on clinical studies where DiviTum™ will be evaluated as a companion tool to evaluate efficacy of a promising type of new cancer drug recently approved. Biovica’s investigations are based on research at Uppsala University, Sweden.
Being a simple blood test, DiviTum™ is a highly sensitive assay for measuring cell proliferation rate. DiviTum™ measures an enzyme with a key function in cell division and the rate in which tumour cells grow. According to Biovica, the product has demonstrated unique values in cancer, predicting therapy efficacy and monitoring the status of the disease and treatment.
The goal of the project is to bring further evidence of DiviTum™ as a predictive and monitoring biomarker in solid tumours, enabling better clinical decisions for cancer therapy and drug development, resulting in a more optimal treatment for patients.
Welcoming the funding, Anders Rylander, chief executive of Biovica, said: “We are very pleased that our study programme, in collaboration with our distinguished partners, is supported in phase two of the Horizon 2020 programme.
“I am especially pleased that we received an excellent evaluation score, and that the Commission believes that our project will give a high impact. With this approval and substantial financial support, we get the acknowledgement to continue to demonstrate the unique values and potential that DiviTum™ can bring to cancer patients.”
The European Commission received 614 proposals to the SME Instrument’s March deadline; 42 of which have been selected for funding. Biovica is a biotech company focused on improving diagnostics and providing better predictive information and monitoring of patients with cancer.
