Technology
Oxford Contrast technology platform
Oxford Contrast offers a first-in-class in-vivo diagnostic platform that provides earlier and more precise diagnosis in a range of major diseases, including multiple sclerosis and brain metastasis. Furthermore, the technology enables monitoring of disease progression and evaluation of response to treatment. Our platform technology represents a fundamental breakthrough from existing non-specific MRI contrast agents, by using an active molecular targeting approach. Existing agents can never, and will never, detect pathology as early in disease progression as Oxford Contrast’s new technology. It is our belief that the same is true for all other agents known to be in development.
Pre-clinical trials show that the technology identifies multiple sclerosis-like lesions and brain metastasis before they would be detectable by current methods.
Our products are actively targeted, provide exquisite MRI contrast, and reveal diseased tissue, whilst other iron-oxide-based products reveal normal tissue (and only reveal disease by their absence).
Left: Binding of targeted MPIO in diseased state Right: No disease present; MPIO cleared from circulation
The technology uses microparticles of iron oxide (MPIO) labeled with specific molecular tags (ligands) that bind to early markers of disease. When disease is present (Figure 1) our product binds to target sites on the lining of the blood vessel. In the absence of disease, the appropriate target markers are not present and binding does not occur (Figure 2). By attaching different ligands, we can target different diseases. Oxford Contrast have developed a carbohydrate attached to MPIO (OCMD1001), for the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and produced an antibody attached to MPIO (OCMD1007), for the early detection of brain metastasis.
Oxford Contrast platform technology
The platform is versatile and can be used to identify a variety of diseases simply by changing the attached targeting molecule.
Intellectual property
The MPIO are held together by covalently-bonded dextran linker molecules that contain cleavage sites (Patent WO 2008/035069). The product is therefore biodegradable following removal from the circulation by the liver and spleen. For the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, we have identified the carbohydrate SLeX linked to MPIO as an imaging agent (Patent WO 2007/020450).
In-vivo results
When our technology is applied to inflammatory disease, it identifies lesions well before the blood-brain barrier breakdown occurs. The current diagnostic gold standard (gadolinium) fails to detect these lesions, as it is only identified on MRI after leakage through the compromised blood-brain barrier.
Left: SLeX-MPIO detects early inflammatory disease. Middle: Untargeted MPIO does not detect lesions. Right: Gadolinium does not detect lesions.
Contrast agents that can diagnose early disease, before the blood-brain barrier breaks down, could significantly change clinical management.