Cizzle Biotechnology makes deal with major UK laboratory

Cizzle Biotechnology Holdings has signed a Letter of Intent with a major UK laboratory group, who provide diagnostic services to the NHS.

Cizzle’s test vis already licensed in the US and the new intended partnership marks a major step to making the company’s CIZ1B biomarker blood test available to the NHS and other UK health providers.

The non-invasive, cost effective test detects a specific biomarker, CIZ1B, which is highly correlated with early-stage lung cancer, often at a time before symptoms appear and when curative intervention may be possible.

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The deal sees the laboratory partner verify and validate the test in collaboration with one of its NHS Foundation Trust partners. This may then lead to an agreement for the laboratory partner to become Cizzle’s exclusive UK provider, supporting a co-branded rollout across NHS and private healthcare markets in the UK.

Lung cancer kills 35,000 in the UK every year and is the country’s leading cause of cancer death. Early detection boosts the chances of survival and the Cizzle tests will help the NHS meet targets on this, potentially saving 55,000 lives a year.

Developed from over a decade of research at the University of York by Professor Dawn Coverley, Cizzle’s Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, with the support of Yorkshire Cancer Research, the CIZ1B biomarker test offers a simple alternative to complex imaging procedures such as CT scans or biopsies.

Allan Syms Executive Chairman of Cizzle Biotechnology, said: “Our work has been focused on the goal of making early cancer detection accessible at scale. This LOI is a major milestone for Cizzle, and for the future of early cancer detection in the UK.”

“This is about getting ahead of cancer, not chasing it when the cancer has already become well advanced. The ability to detect lung cancer early, through a simple, non-invasive test, has the potential to save thousands of lives every year and ease pressure on the NHS.

“We’re also deeply grateful to our shareholders for their continued support. Their confidence allows us to take innovation out of the lab and into hospitals where it can make a real difference to patients and their families.”

The LOI follows Cizzle’s existing international progress, including licensing and accreditation deals in the US and the Caribbean.

To accelerate commercial rollout, Cizzle has secured extra funding to support validation work with the lab partner and further develop its UK and European operations.