Volition's Nu.Q® NETs Assay Demonstrates Promising Results in COVID-19 Risk Stratification and Disease Monitoring

VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: 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 in both humans and animals, has been working with researchers at two leading  NHS Foundation Trusts on two studies in COVID-19 for which abstracts were released this week at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Congress 2021.

Dr. Jake Micallef, Chief Scientific Officer of Volition said "We believe our Nu.Q® NETs assay will have wide applicability for monitoring diseases with a NETs component (such as COVID-19, sepsis, autoimmune diseases and cancer) and potentially to risk stratify patients for treatment selection. We have further large studies in progress in COVID-19, sepsis and other diseases as well as studies in potential use as a companion diagnostic in sepsis. I look forward to the completion of ongoing studies and the publication of further data in the coming months."

Volition previously reported preliminary results demonstrating that its Nu.Q® NETs assay correlated well with (current) COVID-19 disease severity. The Company now reports early-stage data with the same assay showing that results on admission could predict future COVID-19 disease severity and that serial results correlate with disease progression.

Commenting on the poster presentation entitled "Circulating Nucleosomes Immunoassay: Evaluating a Clinically Applicable Test to Risk Stratify COVID-19 and Target Anticoagulation, including the results show above," lead author Dr. Catherine Rea, Consultant Haematologist and Researcher, said "The Nu.Q® NETs biomarker results taken on hospital admission in this study correlated with COVID-19 disease severity and were predictive of whether patients required care in a general ward or organ support in an intensive care ward. The study results also indicated that elevated values of Nu.Q® H3.1 could predict poor outcomes in patients admitted to Intensive Care, including an association with 28-day mortality, and may be of value in risk stratifying patients for treatments such as therapeutic anticoagulation, as well as in monitoring patient response to treatment."

Commenting on the poster presentation entitled "Identifying Tools to Track Hypercoagulability in COVID-19 Patients. Exploring Global Haemostasis (ROTEM) and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Immunoassays," lead author Dr. Sophia Stanford, Lead Scientist, said, "Whilst this is a small exploratory study, the Nu.Q® NETs H3.1 biomarker values closely tracked the clinical course of COVID-19 patients admitted directly to Intensive Care, admitted to a general ward or admitted to a general ward and then transferred to Intensive Care during their hospital stay. These findings suggest the Nu.Q® H3.1 assay may be able to risk stratify COVID-19 patients on admission and monitor disease progression in individual patients."

About Volition

Volition is a multi-national epigenetics company developing simple, easy to use, cost effective blood tests to help diagnose a range of cancers and other diseases. Early diagnosis has the potential to not only prolong the life of patients, but also to improve their quality of life. The tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics™, which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream or other bodily fluid - an indication that disease is present. Volition is primarily focused on human diagnostics but also has a subsidiary focused on animal diagnostics.

Volition's research and development activities are centered in Belgium, with a small laboratory in California and additional offices in Texas, London and Singapore, as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market.