Ground breaking AMLo Biosciences skin cancer test receives UKCA mark

AMLo Biosciences Ltd based at Newcastle Helix have announced the successful receipt of the UKCA mark for AMBLor – a ground breaking test, which helps doctors assess how dangerous different skin cancer cases are. This means it can now be marketed in Great Britain, making it available to healthcare professionals.

Prior to this test every skin cancer patient required further diagnostic procedures and lengthy follow-up schedules. As although only around 20% of patients with stage I or II melanoma skin cancer diseases saw their illness spread to other parts of their body, there has been no accurate way of working out who those 20% of cases would be.

Dr Marie Labus, CEO, AMLo Biosciences, commented, “We are excited that AMBLor has now received its UKCA mark and is available to the NHS and private hospitals. Adding this simple, effective, low-cost biomarker assay to the existing early-stage melanoma diagnostic tests can provide accurate prognostic information relating to tumour progression.

“We believe that it can enable clinicians to provide a more personalised approach to disease management, which may include consideration of the need for sentinel lymph node biopsy, also potentially easing patient anxiety at a difficult time.”

Melanoma experts reported that having better prognostic information for early-stage melanoma could help reduce the burden of procedures and appointments on both patients and the stretched healthcare resources, plus it could assist in offering tailored treatment options and follow-up.

Dr Aidan Rose, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, added, “AMBLor receiving a UKCA mark is really great news. Now that it is available for use, we are very hopeful that it can be used to aid clinical decision making and help reduce the significant strains that many services are currently experiencing.”

Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK with over 19,500 new cases each year and is one of the main causes of cancer death in the under 45s.

John Seager, Estates Director at Newcastle Helix said: “This is great news for AMLo Biosciences and society. We are very proud that Newcastle Helix is home to some of the most innovative science organisations creating solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.”