Oxford BioDynamics enters strategic partnership with Boca Biolistics

Oxford BioDynamics has entered a strategic partnership with US-based biorepository, reference lab and contract research organisation Boca Biolistics.

Under the terms of the agreement, Oxford BioDynamics will receive a range of blood samples from COVID-19 patients, with detailed clinical information on disease severity.

These will be added to Oxford BioDynamics’ exisiting database of over 500 UK and US samples.

The samples will be used to support product development of Oxford BioDynamics’ EpiSwitch prognostic immune-response test. The company requires the widest diversity of samples as possible, depicting the broadest possible range of severity levels expressed in COVID-19 patients.

As a result, Boca Biolisitics is prospectively procuring samples for Oxford BioDynamics from the US and the Caribbean, as well as South Africa.

Oxford BioDynamics underlying aim is to develop a disease severity test leveraging its EpiSwitch technology.

Using its EpiSwitch technology, the 3D structure of a patient’s genomic, which contains over one million molecular regulatory data points, can be interrogated to determine what makes certain patients vulnerable to hyperinflammation and severe side effects when exposed to COVID-19.

“Working with an established integrated industry partner is another step on the path to commercialising our disease severity programme for COVID-19,” said Jon Burrows, chief executive officer of Oxford BioDynamics.

“Boca Biolistics has a global footprint and a proven track record for delivering high quality annotated samples and supporting frontline test developments and deployment,” he added.