Benzinga | Nov 19, 2020 07:02AM EST

VolitionRx Limited to Present COVID-19 Data At MEDICA 2020

AUSTIN, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE:VNRX) ("Volition"), a multi-national epigenetics company developing simple, easy to use, cost effective blood tests to help diagnose a range of cancers and other diseases, has announced that Dr. Mark Eccleston, a founding scientist and Business Development Director at Volition, will today present preliminary results from its proof of concept clinical studies focused on monitoring disease progression of COVID-19 as part of the "Innovative COVID-19 Diagnostics" session at the virtual MEDICA LABMED FORUM.

Volition's initial studies demonstrated that symptomatic COVID-19 patients have elevated circulating nucleosomes and, as a result, Volition has filed a novel patent for monitoring disease progression of COVID-19 and other NETosis associated infections. Preliminary results from ongoing longitudinal COVID-19 studies are expected to be released before the end of 2020. The Company plans to utilise the results of these current trials and other ongoing studies to further its aim of developing a clinically useful product to help in the COVID-19 pandemic, and potentially in other infections with dangerous complications caused by NETosis including influenza and sepsis.

The presentation, "Circulating nucleosomes as potential prognostic markers for COVID-19 disease severity" will outline the data compiled so far to support the Company's use of its Nu.Q(tm) Nucleosomics(tm) technology to identify cell free circulating nucleosomes associated with elevated NETosis - the body's immune response to an infection - in "at risk" individuals with COVID-19.

Data from two independent cohorts of COVID-19 positive patients with quantitative nucleosome immunoassays showed that nucleosomes were highly elevated in the plasma of patients with severe COVID-19, relative to healthy control subjects. The data showed that the levels of both histone 3.1 variant and citrullinated nucleosomes increased with disease severity.

The highest levels of nucleosomes were found in patients requiring artificial ventilation or extracorporeal oxygenation. Volition believes that it is possible, therefore, that nucleosomes could be used to monitor disease progression in COVID-19 positive patients and potentially other diseases such as influenza and sepsis.