Cytosystems – the beginnings

The Cytosystems story begins in Cambridge in the mid-1990s with the pioneering research work of Professor Ron Laskey (left) and Dr Nick Coleman into MCM protein antibody diagnostics for cancer.

Based at the Hutchison/Medical Research Council’s Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, Professor Laskey and Dr Coleman successfully developed MCM antibody staining techniques on the DNA of epithelial cell tissues which they believed could provide highly reliable diagnosis of early malignant cell change.

The importance of the Cambridge work, much of which was carried out in the early stages with funding from Cancer Research UK, has been recognised.  Professor Laskey and Dr Coleman’s funding represents a major investment by the Medical Research Council, and Cancer Research Technology (CRT) has already granted a development licence for MCM diagnostics for cervical cancer to a major global diagnostics manufacturer.

Cytosystems – the early days

In 1996, Dr David Galloway (left), now Medical and Scientific Director with Cytosystems, but then with the Medicines Assessment Research Unit (MARU) at Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust in Aberdeen was instrumental in winning a contract from Cambridge University’s Research Centre for the independent evaluation of the potential of MCM diagnostics, in this case for cervical cancer.

Dr Galloway was sufficiently impressed at the results of the MCM tests for cervical cancer carried out by the Cambridge team (including Aberdeen) that he entered into discussions with Cancer Research Technology, the development arm of Cancer Research UK, to explore the development of MCM techniques into other types of cancer.

Extensive independent market research was commissioned in the field of urology which confirmed the commercial potential of MCM in screening for and diagnosing bladder cancer.

In the light of this research, a new Chief Executive, Richard Berry (right), joined Cytosystems from Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s principal economic development agency.

Cytosystems – first commercialisation

In March 2006, Cytosystems successfully secured an exclusive global licence, with extensive patent protection, from CRT (Cancer Research Technology), the commercial arm of CR-UK (Cancer Research UK) for the research and development of MCM protein antibody diagnostics for cancer of the bladder.

In 2007, Cytosystems awarded a contract to a multi-disciplinary team at the University of Aberdeen to validate the proof of principle and establish the sensitivity and specificity of the MCM technology in bladder cancer.

Cytosystems has had its core scientific and commercial teams in place since 2007.

In late 2008, Cytosystems awarded a separate contract to a team at a major UK teaching hospital to validate the proof of principle of the MCM technology in prostate cancer.  In January 2009, a clinical trial was contracted to this team to establish the sensitivity and specificity and hence clinical application of the MCM technology in prostate cancer.

Cytosystems - the future

Cytosystems’ strategy in 2009 is to continue with its development of an integrated diagnostic package – The Cytosystems Solution – based on MCM technology but also including IP-protected engineered urine collection systems and a unique urine collection protocol.  Click here to view progress to date.

It is hoped that when this system is commercialised, the significant reduction in the number of cystoscopies carried out will realise significant proportionately large cost savings to health authorities worldwide, as well as greatly reducing the invasive discomforts of conventional cystoscopies.

MCM technology already appears capable of minimising false negative results from its diagnostic tests in other indications, and the directors of Cytosystems believe its unique laboratory-based test system will be capable of developing similar outcomes in both bladder and prostate cancer.