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Application of the Cytosponge test in the screening of Barrett’s esophagus will transform outcomes for patients and clinicians.

Cyted is partnering across healthcare systems to accelerate the roll-out of the Cytosponge test globally and save tens of thousands of lives through the earlier and faster detection of cancer.

The Cytosponge test is set to revolutionise the diagnosis of Barrett’s esophagus, the pre-cancerous condition predisposing individuals to esophageal cancer, in the United States (US) following an update to clinical guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) supporting its use in screening.

Published in American Journal of Gastroenterology (AJG), the revised guidelines synthesise current best practices in the management of Barrett’s esophagus with several key changes since its last iteration. Critically, the ACG now recognises and supports the Cytosponge test as an alternative to endoscopy for screening of Barrett’s esophagus in those with risk factors including chronic reflux symptoms.

Clinicians across the US recognise the importance of screening and early diagnosis for esophageal cancer. Survival rates following diagnosis remain dismal, at less than 20% after five years. Barrett’s esophagus affects at least 5.6% of the US population and is the greatest risk factor for oesophageal cancer, increasing the risk by 10-55 times that of the general population. Thus, it is critical to detect Barrett’s esophagus earlier and faster to improve patient outcomes and save lives.

The ACG declare that “the greatest experience to date and largest available evidence base has been with the Cytosponge device”. Their recommendation to apply the Cytosponge test for the screening of Barrett’s esophagus will transform outcomes for thousands of patients and clinicians.

Revising the guidelines marks a huge milestone for clinicians and health providers across the US. The ACG recognises the substantial progress that has been made in developing Cytosponge as a minimally invasive, cost-effective test for Barrett’s esophagus.

The Cytosponge is praised for the breadth of its clinical evidence base, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and the US, including safety, cost-effectiveness, accuracy and patient perceptions when compared with endoscopy. Screening patients with chronic reflux with the Cytosponge test has been shown to detect 10-times as many cases of Barrett’s esophagus compared with standard of care, which is only being offered endoscopy if seen as necessary by their healthcare provider. The recommendation by the ACG for a “nonendoscopic capsule sponge device combined with a biomarker” further emphasises that the Cytosponge is the only commercially available technology with significant evidence base and commercial scale in recent years.

Marcel Gehrung, CEO and Co-Founder at Cyted

‍, said: “It’s excellent to see the Cytosponge test being recognised as a safe and effective alternative to endoscopy for the screening of Barrett’s esophagus by the ACG. This will have a huge impact in the US, where millions of people are affected by chronic reflux symptoms, the primary symptom of Barrett’s esophagus, a well-defined precursor to esophageal cancer.

At Cyted, we are working relentlessly with our partners to accelerate the roll-out of the Cytosponge test in the UK, EU, US and beyond to save lives by spotting the signs of cancer earlier and faster, allowing clinicians to stop it in its tracks. Underpinning our work at Cyted are pivotal results, and we are looking forward to collaborating with clinicians, partners and patients in the US following this momentous decision by the ACG.”

Rebecca Fitzgerald, Professor for Cancer Prevention and Co-Founder at Cyted, said: “The latest clinical guidelines from the ACG offers great news for patients across the US. Cyted are well positioned to continue this momentum to drive positive change and save lives, and we are committed to supporting the rollout of the Cytosponge.”

The updated ACG clinical guidelines follow the expansion of Cytosponge across NHS England and NHS Scotland to deliver the test for patients living with chronic reflux symptoms and Barrett’s esophagus. To date, many thousands of Cytosponge tests have been delivered across the UK.

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With support from Innovate UK (UKRI) and Cancer Research UK (CRUK), Cyted are proud to have collaborated with Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, King’s College London, the PHG Foundation and Medtronic to form Project DELTA, with the ultimate aim of triggering a new era in the diagnosis of oesophageal cancer.

The UKRI/CRUK-funded DELTA project has developed and facilitated the rapid implementation of the Cytosponge test, with Cyted’s partnerships with the NHS at the heart of its uptake.

Through the digital and data-driven advancements from the Project DELTA teams, patients will receive their diagnosis earlier and faster so they can start potentially life-saving cancer treatment at a stage that it is most likely to be successful.

Since late 2020, over 6,500 Cytosponge procedures have been carried out in the UK, offering invaluable benefit for the NHS in tackling the national backlog by diverting patients away from endoscopy waiting lists.

This is more important than ever with over 67,000 patients waiting for an upper GI endoscopy in England as of January 2022, of which nearly 40% have been waiting over six weeks.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said:"A quick, efficient, and minimally invasive diagnostic test like theCytosponge can go a long way towards reducing the stress and anxiety that accompanies the wait for a test. And diagnosing cancer as early as possible is absolutely vital for improving outcomes for patients.

After decades of research by Cancer Research UK-funded scientists, we are excited to see that this technology is already well on its way to helping bring patients off endoscopy waiting lists across the UK."

Marcel Gehrung, CEO, Cyted, commented: “At Cyted, we are dedicated to leading a revolution in diagnostics, so that diseases and cancers are diagnosed earlier and faster. We are delighted to have received support from CRUK and UKRI through Project DELTA to bring the Cytosponge to patients and ensure patients receive their diagnosis early so they can start potentially life-saving cancer treatment sooner”

This support is invaluable to help further develop ourAI technology which will revolutionise the diagnosis of oesophageal cancer.”

Cyted has been named one of Britain’s most impressive innovators in the Department for International Trade’s second publication of their Digital Health Playbook –‘Beyond 100’– which showcases the UK’s leading digital health innovators to international markets.

Positioned alongside some of the most prominent players in digital healthcare, Cyted’s inclusion in the Digital Health Playbook recognises their readiness for global expansion, the uniqueness of their innovation and their potential for tackling the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges.

First published in 2021, the latest edition of the Playbook has been expanded to include new pioneers in digital healthcare, whose ground-breaking technologies are expected to play a key role in addressing healthcare challenges globally.

From companies that provide self-care, digital triage and virtual care solutions, to those that analyse and report data to improve efficiencies and diagnostics, the Playbook now includes 160 UK companies, all of which have demonstrated their commitment to export and international expansion, their responsiveness to changing system needs, and their dedication transform the delivery of healthcare, both within the UK and internationally.

With the support of the DIT’s Digital Health team and their connections in 96 international markets, Cyted is planning to lay the foundations for an exciting growth journey ahead, so they can continue revolutionising cancer diagnostics on a global scale.

Marcel Gehrung, CEO, Cyted, commented:

“At Cyted, we are dedicated to leading a revolution in diagnostics, so that diseases and cancers are diagnosed earlier and faster. We're delighted to be recognised by the Department for International Trade’s Beyond 100 Digital Health Playbook as one of the UK’s most impressive innovators.

“We are proud to be making a difference across one of the most complex health systems in the world, during its most challenging time. Our technologies and services are being tried and tested across the NHS, helping to accelerate patient turnaround times and improve patient outcomes. We are ready to partner with healthcare providers globally to bring our services and innovations to patients and systems overseas.

Thank you to Dr Mike Short CBE FREng FIET FBCS FITP, The AHSN Network and UCL Partners for your support.”

To read more about the Department for International Trade’s ‘Beyond 100’ Digital Health Playbook,

‍check it out here.

• Cyted has piloted a novel managed digital pathology model for over 5,000 tests with NHS and private hospitals, with the aim to scale in 2022.
• New partnerships with private healthcare providers have been established to build managed pathways and virtualise pathology operations.
• Cyted has supported the national roll-out of over 3,500 of its early oesophageal cancer diagnostic tests to date into NHS services across England and Scotland with European pilots being underway.
• Over the next six months, the company headcount will double to further develop and support the uptake of its technologies, and laboratory operations will be moved to larger premises in Huntingdon, UK.

CAMBRIDGE, UK, 7th September 2021: Cyted has shared its plans for further growth as the company is set to double its headcount during the next six months.

Recent expansion has seen Cyted reaffirm its commitment to pioneering diagnostic platforms through new partnerships, to build new managed pathways and virtualise pathology operations. The programme is focused on streamlining services during the COVID-19 era and easing pressures on the health system as it recovers from the impact of the pandemic.

This growth also follows the delivery of over 3,500 diagnostic tests to NHS services across England and Scotland in Cyted’s first managed pathway, known as the Cytosponge test, and the pilot of a novel managed digital pathology model.

Through the earlier and faster diagnosis of disease, the implementation of managed pathways in primary and secondary care helps to conserve pathologists’ time, save costs, reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes. Through diagnosis of Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition which increases the likelihood of oesophageal cancer, Cyted has already helped over 3,500 patients enter the care pathway earlier; halting the progression of cancer and reducing pressure on the system.

Over the coming months, Cyted will continue to support the NHS in the roll-out of its technology, digital diagnostic infrastructure and services to enable the earlier and faster detection of a range of diseases.

Since starting operations in 2020, Cyted has evolved from a team of three scientists and clinicians from the University of Cambridge. To support the implementation of its technology and platforms, Cyted will double its headcount from the current team of 40 over the next six months. Cyted will move its laboratory operations to a new building in Huntingdon in late 2021 to accommodate this growth.

Marcel Gehrung, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer at Cyted,comments:

“At Cyted, we are committed to building a world where disease is prevented rather than treated. We recognise that cancer services in the UK are under extreme pressure, something which has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our game-changing technology aims to offer solutions that relieve some of this pressure through essential earlier and faster detection of disease.

“To continue to deliver on this, we must ensure we have the best minds as part of our team. We are excited to be doubling our dedicated team of pioneers and specialists to facilitate the delivery of our existing services and to develop new solutions that improve outcomes for patients.”

About Cyted

Cyted is building a world where disease is prevented rather than treated. We are committed to enabling the earlier and faster detection of disease, providing game-changing technology that is at the cutting-edge of what machine learning and automatic can do. Our products and services combine artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure with next generation biomarkers.

With significant expertise in pathology, we are streamlining diagnostic and clinical workflows. Our pioneering, fully managed, end-to-end diagnostic platform has the power to save pathologists time, give clinicians quicker access to answers and enable access to better outcomes for all. For more information, please visit www.cyted.ai.

About The Cytosponge Test

The Cytosponge involves sampling cells from the surface of the oesophagus using the Cytosponge cell collection device by Medtronic, consisting of a mesh sphere on a string inside a gelatine capsule. The capsule is swallowed by the patient and the gelatine capsule dissolves in the stomach allowing the sponge to expand. The sponge is then withdrawn from the stomach, sampling cells from the surface of the oesophagus. The cells and biomarkers associated with Barrett’s Oesophagus are then analysed using the Cyted pathology platform.

Cyted Press Office

Hanover Communications
E-mail :cyted@hanovercomms.com

CAMBRIDGE, UK, 15 April 2021: Dr Marcel Gehrung, CEO of Cyted, was part of the research group that developed a new technique to help experts diagnose Barrett’s oesophagus – a pre-cancerous condition that can increase the risk of developing oesophageal cancer.

Published todayinNature Medicineand funded by Cancer Research UK, the study explored how artificial intelligence could help free up pathologists time and allow them on diagnosing the trickiest cases of Barrett’s oesophagus.

Cytosponge is a new diagnostic tool developed by Cancer Research UK scientists at the University of Cambridge. It uses a ‘sponge on a string’ to collect cells from the oesophagus, which are then sent to the lab for testing, where pathologists look for a biomarker linked to Barrett’s oesophagus, TFF3.

Previous researchhas suggested that the Cytosponge-TFF3 test can identify 10 times more people with Barrett’s oesophagus than current GP care. However, if this test were to be more commonly used in GP surgeries and elsewhere within the NHS, it could increase the demand on NHS services.

Barrett’s oesophagus can cause cells in the oesophagus to grow abnormally, increasing the risk of oesophageal cancer. Around 3 to 13% of people with the Barrett’s oesophagus develop a type of oesophageal cancer called oesophageal adenocarcinoma –11 times more than the average person. It is thought that many cases of Barrett’s oesophagus go undetected.

The work carried out by Dr Marcel Gehrung during his PhD, based at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, led to the founding of Cyted.

Under the supervision of Dr Florian Markowetz at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute the team wanted to see if AI could help ease the burden of analysing samples, paving the way for Cytosponge to be used more frequently without straining an already busy NHS care pathway.

Dr Marcel Gehrung, CEO of Cyted, commented:

“A major bottleneck for scaling Cytosponge to test large patient populations is the time it takes for a pathologist to analyse the samples, which has several time-consuming steps.”

The researchers developed an approach that applied deep learning (an AI function that tries to mimic the workings of the brain and process raw data without human oversight) to Cytosponge samples taken from patients taking part in clinical trials. Images from these samples were analysed by the model and trained to understand the features of particular cells that indicate the presence of Barrett’s oesophagus, called goblet cells.

Coding a pathologist’s partner

Trying to develop a fully-automated system with the ability to mimic a pathologist’s single “positive” or “negative” diagnosis was complex. From the samples taken from 2,331 patients, pathologists were able to correctly identify 82% of Barrett’s oesophagus cases. In comparison, the AI approach was able to correctly identify 73% of cases, with both approaches correctly identifying 93% of the negative cases.

Instead, researchers were guided by experienced pathologists to develop a semi-automated triage system. This meant that the result for each sample was categorised into one of 8 different classes depending on how clear cut the diagnosis and quality was. Samples that were deemed to be low quality or more challenging for the deep-learning model were assessed manually by pathologists.

This triage system proved successful. When applied to the clearer cut cases (approximately 60% of the samples), the algorithm was able to identify 83% of cases.

Researchers suggest that it could reduce Cytosponge-related workload for pathologists by 57%.

The future of AI

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said that pathologists play a key role in diagnosis. “But like so many other areas of the NHS, they have been seriously impacted by a lack of investment in workforce over the years. Research such as this, exploring how to support pathologists in their vital work through new technology and innovations is vital, as is long term investment and planning of the cancer workforce.”

As the use and development of this deep learning tool continues to evolve, the researchers think that it will become even more accurate in its definition of triage classes. Researchers also say the technology isn’t limited to this one condition and in the future, it could potentially be applied to other conditions including pancreatic, thyroid and bowel cancer.

References

1. Gehrung et al 2021 Triage-driven diagnosis of Barrett esophagus for early detection of esophageal adenocarcinoma using deep learning
2. Fitzgerald et al 2020 Cytosponge-trefoil factor 3 versus usual care to identify Barrett's oesophagus in a primary care setting: a multicentre, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial
3. Oesophageal cancer risk | Cancer Research UK

About Cyted

Cyted is enabling the earlier detection of disease, providing products and services that combine proprietary artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure with next generation biomarkers.

With significant expertise in pathology, the Company is developing a pipeline of digital and molecular tests for disease detection and risk stratification to streamline diagnostic and clinical workflows. Cyted has the capacity to rapidly implement its sample processing and analysis workflow at scale via Dialogical^®, its proprietary pathology reporting platform based on machine learning algorithms.

The Company’s services and products are initially focused on oesophageal cancer, where the combination of an identifiable at-risk population coupled with excellent therapy options offers a unique opportunity to improve patient outcomes through early detection.

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Cambridge, UK, 08 March 2021: The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) today announced the 12 innovators (‘Fellows’) and innovations selected to join its award-winning programme in 2021. These innovations offer solutions to some of the NHS’ most pressing needs and will be supported over the next three years to scale across England for the benefit of NHS patients and staff.

This year, the NIA sought evidence-based innovations that address key NHS priorities: supporting the workforce, mental health and COVID-19 response. From remote patient monitoring and diagnostics to virtual clinical training for staff, the 2021 cohort represents a range of solutions that are set to transform the health and social care system in England.

Each innovation – and its representative Fellow – were selected through a robust, multi-stage assessment process involving a college of expert clinicians, patients and commercial leads drawn from a range of organisations including NHS England and NHS Improvement, NHSX, the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) and NICE.

The announcement marks the sixth cohort joining the NIA, which is an NHS England and NHS Improvement initiative delivered in partnership with England’s 15 AHSNs, hosted at UCLPartners. Since it launched in 2015, the NIA has supported the uptake and spread of 74 evidence-based innovations across more than 2,475 NHS sites.

In recognition of the new cohort, Professor Stephen Powis, Chair of the NIA and National Medical Director for NHS England and NHS Improvement, said:

“After a year like no other for the NHS, the importance of innovation has never been more clear. From the way we deliver services to how we support the health and social care workforce, innovation has proven critical to ensuring we remain able to care for NHS patients and staff effectively and efficiently.

The 12 innovations joining the NHS Innovation Accelerator in 2021 meet the needs of the NHS at this critical time and will be supported to scale across England for even greater patient benefit.”

Marcel Gehrung, CEO, Cyted, commented:

“It is an honour to have been selected for this programme. Cyted’s mission is to work to build a world where disease is prevented rather than treated, and we see collaboration with NHS England as a vital part of this challenge. I am very much looking forward to working with the NIA team over the next three years.”

The 12 innovations selected to join the NHS Innovation Accelerator in 2021 are:

• AcuPebble SA100: a wearable CE-marked medical device able to accurately and non-invasively diagnose sleep apnoea from the patient’s home.
• Brain in Hand: a digital innovation using coaching principles and practical support to help people living with anxiety and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Cyted: provides services for the earlier detection of disease through a proprietary machine learning and digital pathology infrastructure.
• Definition Health: a digital pre- and post-op communications tool between hospital and patient, providing the first end to end journey for surgical patients in the UK.
• Feebris: a mobile-based software platform powered by AI that helps users (clinical or non-clinical) to detect and triage respiratory deterioration remotely.
• Infinity Health: a digital platform on which health and care staff log, share and coordinate their daily tasks in real-time, replacing paper-based manual methods.
• KiActiv: a mentor-guided digital service that empowers people to make sustainable behaviour change in the context of their health, capacity and environment, without the need to visit gyms or clinics.
• Little Journey: a smartphone-based health behaviour modification tool that provides end-to-end support for families to reduce children’s anxiety before a healthcare procedure.
• MUTU System: an at-home online programme of exercises to help women heal and strengthen from pelvic symptoms and associated mental health concerns post-baby.
• Oxford Medical Simulation: providing clinical experiences on demand through the use of virtual reality so doctors and nurses can practice caring for virtual patients whenever they need to.
• Oxehealth: a contact-free vision-based patient monitoring platform for use in hospitals (mental health) and nursed facilities.
• Vinehealth: a digital platform that uses behavioural science and AI to improve the quality of life and survival of cancer patients through highly personalised patient support.

About Cyted https://cyted.ai

Cyted is enabling the earlier detection of disease, providing products and services that combine proprietary artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure with next generation biomarkers.

With significant expertise in pathology, the Company is developing a pipeline of digital and molecular tests for disease detection and risk stratification to streamline diagnostic and clinical workflows. Cyted has the capacity to rapidly implement its sample processing and analysis workflow at scale via Dialogical^®, its proprietary pathology reporting platform based on machine learning algorithms.

The Company’s services and products are initially focused on oesophageal cancer, where the combination of an identifiable at-risk population coupled with excellent therapy options offers a unique opportunity to improve patient outcomes through early detection.

Cyted is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. For more information, visit cyted.ai

About the NHS Innovation Accelerator

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is an award-winning NHS England initiative delivered in partnership with England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), hosted at UCLPartners. It supports delivery of theNHS Long Term Planpriorities by accelerating uptake of high impact innovations for patient, population and NHS staff benefit, and providing practical insights on spread to inform national strategy.

Since it launched in July 2015, the NIA has supported 72 Fellows representing 74 innovations to spread across the NHS, making a significant impact. To date, over 2,475 additional NHS sites are now using NIA innovations, our innovators have raised £174.3m in external funding, 746 jobs have been created, 131 awards won, and 49 NIA innovations are now selling internationally.

For more information about the NIA, visit www.nhsaccelerator.com or email nia@uclpartners.com

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CAMBRIDGE, UK, 19 October 2020: Cyted Ltd (“Cyted” or “the Company”), a developer and provider of artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure to enable earlier detection of disease, today announced it has acquired Pathognomics Limited, a provider of digital pathology and clinical diagnostic laboratory services, based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK.

The acquisition of Pathognomics will provide Cyted an accredited laboratory environment and digital pathology technology, enabling the rapid uptake and expansion of the pipeline of novel biomarkers and artificial intelligence (AI) technology at Cyted. Cyted and Pathognomics have already worked together to successfully set up and launch diagnostic services for the earlier detection of oesophageal cancer. Cyted and Pathognomics will now look to scale their combined diagnostic reporting services and infrastructure to further support both existing and future healthcare partners.

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CAMBRIDGE, UK, 29 September 2020: Cyted Ltd (“Cyted” or “the Company”), a developer and provider of artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure to enable earlier detection of disease, today announced that it has appointed Martin Frost as Commercial and Strategic Advisor. In this role, Martin will guide the Cyted team as the Company continues to grow and commercialise its products and services offering.

Martin has over 20 years of industry experience, including co-founding CMR Surgical in 2014. As CEO of CMR he was recognised as ‘UK Disruptor of the year’ in the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year awards, and ‘Executive of the Year’ at the 2019 MedTech Insight awards, recognising his success in taking CMR from inception to global commercialisation with its surgical robot, Versius. To scale CMR, Martin raised over £250m, a record for any private European medical devices business.

Previously Martin has held a number of C-suite positions including CEO and CFO of Sagentia, the leading technology development company based in Cambridge, which he listed on the London Stock Exchange. Martin qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant, graduated from Cambridge University, and is Chair of the Peek Vision Foundation.

Cyted is enabling the earlier detection of disease, providing products and services that combine proprietary artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure with next generation biomarkers. With significant expertise in pathology, the Company is developing a pipeline of digital and molecular tests for disease detection and risk stratification, to streamline diagnostic and clinical workflows. Cyted is initially focused on oesophageal cancer, where the combination of an identifiable at-risk population coupled with excellent therapy options offers a unique opportunity to improve patient outcomes through early detection.

Dr Will West, Chairman, Cyted, said:

Martin is a recognised commercial leader in successfully scaling technology and life science businesses. To have him involved at this stage of Cyted’s development is fantastic, as we embark on the next phase towards commercialisation.”

Martin Frost, Commercial and Strategic Advisor, Cyted, said:

What the team at Cyted has already achieved in terms of technical developments is impressive, and I look forward to working with Marcel and the Company as we continue to build strategic partnerships and move towards the commercialisation of Cyted’s products and services.

Marcel Gehrung, CEO of Cyted, said:

Martin has an exceptional track record in the biotech, medtech and medical device development sectors and it is a privilege to welcome him to the team. With Martin’s help we plan to focus on the development of partnerships with NHS trusts, academic health networks and commercial groups, as well as continuing to expand the team at all levels.

About Cyted

Cytedis enabling the earlier detection of disease, providing products and services that combine proprietary artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure with next generation biomarkers.

With significant expertise in pathology, the Company is developing a pipeline of digital and molecular tests for disease detection and risk stratification to streamline diagnostic and clinical workflows. Cyted has the capacity to rapidly implement its sample processing and analysis workflow at scale via Dialogical^®, its proprietary pathology reporting platform based on machine learning algorithms.

The Company’s services and products are initially focused on oesophageal cancer, where the combination of patient population, pathological analysis and therapeutic options offers a unique opportunity to improve patient outcomes through early detection.

About Morningside Venture Capital

Morningside Group was founded in 1986, by the Chan family of Hong Kong, to make private equity and venture capital investments. The group is managed by investment professionals who are entrepreneurial, have deep industry knowledge and are effective in the local environment in which they operate. In addition to its investment activities, Morningside Group is strongly committed to social responsibility.

About Project DELTA

Project DELTA aims to improve the diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. It is a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Kings College London, the PHG Foundation and Cyted. Advisory Board support is provided by Action Against Heartburn, Heartburn Cancer UK, the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance and Newcastle University. The project aims to develop algorithms to identify individuals most at risk. These people will be offered a Cytosponge™-TFF3 test, which can be delivered in an office setting. Cyted will develop AI algorithms to assist pathologists with rapid diagnoses. People diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus can then be monitored regularly for early signs of cancer.

CAMBRIDGE, UK, 13 August 2020: Cyted Ltd (“Cyted” or “the Company”), a developer and provider of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure to enable earlier detection of disease, today announced the launch of the first clinics for diagnostic procedures for early detection of Barrett’s Oesophagus, a precursor to oesophageal cancer. The clinics will be run in collaboration with Medtronic and Pathognomics, at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH).

The clinics represent a step forward in non-endoscopic oesophageal cell sample collection and implementation of an integrated diagnostic workflow for early detection of oesophageal cancer. Sample collection is carried out using the Cytosponge cell collection devicebyMedtronic, consisting of a mesh sphere on a string inside a gelatine capsule. The capsule is swallowed by the patient and the gelatine capsule dissolves in the stomach allowing the sponge to expand. The sponge is then withdrawn from the stomach, sampling cells from the surface of the oesophagus. The cells and biomarkers associated with Barrett’s Oesophagus are then analysed using the Cyted pathology platform.

Dr Maria O’Donovan, CMO, Cyted, said:

We are delighted to be working with UCLH, alongside Medtronic and Pathognomics, to launch the first clinical procedures for the early detection of Barrett’s Oesophagus. We are excited to bring this technology to patients, which, when paired with our state-of-the-art biomarkers and digital solutions to maximise accuracy and high-throughput delivery, will make a real difference to the earlier detection of oesophageal cancer.

Prof Rebecca Fitzgerald, CSO, Cyted, said:

Early detection of cancer is key to transforming patient outcomes. With oesophageal cancer we have a unique opportunity due to the combination of an identifiable at-risk population coupled with excellent therapy options. The new clinic at UCLH represents a critical next step in being able to offer a simple, non-endoscopic test with rapid results to identify those patients who need further investigation. I hope this is just the beginning and we see expansion of these clinics across other regions in the future. We aim to make this technology widely available and apply this overall approach to other early detection challenges that have hitherto not been possible.

About Cyted

Cytedis enabling the earlier detection of disease, providing products and services that combine proprietary artificial intelligence technology and digital diagnostic infrastructure with next generation biomarkers.

With significant expertise in pathology, the Company is developing a pipeline of digital and molecular tests for disease detection and risk stratification to streamline diagnostic and clinical workflows. Cyted has the capacity to rapidly implement its sample processing and analysis workflow at scale via Dialogical^®, its proprietary pathology reporting platform based on machine learning algorithms.

The Company’s services and products are initially focused on oesophageal cancer, where the combination of patient population, pathological analysis and therapeutic options offers a unique opportunity to improve patient outcomes through early detection.

About Morningside Venture Capital

Morningside Group was founded in 1986, by the Chan family of Hong Kong, to make private equity and venture capital investments. The group is managed by investment professionals who are entrepreneurial, have deep industry knowledge and are effective in the local environment in which they operate. In addition to its investment activities, Morningside Group is strongly committed to social responsibility.

About Project DELTA

Project DELTA aims to improve the diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. It is a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Kings College London, the PHG Foundation and Cyted. Advisory Board support is provided by Action Against Heartburn, Heartburn Cancer UK, the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance and Newcastle University. The project aims to develop algorithms to identify individuals most at risk. These people will be offered a Cytosponge™-TFF3 test, which can be delivered in an office setting. Cyted will develop AI algorithms to assist pathologists with rapid diagnoses. People diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus can then be monitored regularly for early signs of cancer.

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