Public Funding for Tagomics Ltd

Cancer is a growing concern globally, with cases set to rise to 21.6M by 2030 (American Cancer Society) with a cost of $458B. Cancer cases in the UK alone are set to rise to 514,000 cases per year by 3035 and the cost of care is predicted to be £15.3B in 2021 alone (NHS). Cancer also has a significant economic expense of around £7.6B per year in the UK, with around 53% of patients seeing a fall in income by at least one income bracket (Pfizer). Despite clear evidence that early detection saves lives, there are still low compliance rates with screening tests (e.g. colonoscopy, mammogram, smear test etc) due to the invasiveness of these approaches. As a result, less invasive methods of detection have been much sought-after, and a number of simple blood-based tests have been successfully commercialised to address these challenges. However, the low sensitivity/specificity of these approaches makes early detection and identification of the location of the cancer, difficult. Chemical modifications to our DNA called 'methylation' control which of our genes are switched on or off. Identifying the location of DNA methylation marks and quantifying and their effects allows us to develop more effective detection tests. However, reading these modifications can be difficult and prohibitively expensive using existing technologies. Tagomics is a spin-out from the University of Birmingham, founded to ensure that our fundamental research reaches the clinic and that we deliver a tangible improvement in cancer diagnosis and treatment, as a result. Our novel platform technology captures the unmodified (switched-on) locations of the genome, allowing for specific and straightforward analysis of the changes that occur during disease. The sensitivity of our approach opens up the possibility of simple, accurate and early detection of cancer and the tissue from which it originated, from a simple non-invasive blood test. Routine screening and earlier detection of cancer will mean clinicians can make more informed treatment decisions sooner in the cancer development pathway. Ultimately, this will reduce the duration and cost of therapy, improve patient outcomes, increase survival rates and decrease the burden on our stretched healthcare system. Tagomics will apply its innovative technology to discover new markers of cancer and through the development of strategic partnerships, we will turn these disease markers into world-leading clinical tests capable of detecting and diagnosing cancer earlier, with the ultimate aim of detecting and assessing multiple cancers from the same single blood draw.