VolitionRx files patent for Ebola test using Nu.Q technology

VolitionRx Limited (NYSE AMERICAN: VNRX) filed a patent application covering the use of its Nu.Q technology for triaging and monitoring patients suspected of having Ebola virus, the company announced.

The patent application covers the company's Nu.Q NETs test, which quantifies circulating nucleosomes and Neutrophil Extracellular Traps as indicators of hyper-inflammation that can lead to septic shock and early mortality, according to the press release.

"This filing yet again shows the breadth of utility of our technology: it claims the potential use of Volition's existing Nu.Q NETs test for Ebola," said Dr. Jake Micallef, Chief Scientific Officer at VolitionRx.

The company's existing product portfolio includes a CE-marked automated Nu.Q NETs assay for centralized laboratories and a capillary blood finger-prick lateral flow detection test. The lateral flow test could provide bedside triage for severe filovirus outbreaks in resource-constrained countries with limited laboratory infrastructure.

Unlike existing Ebola diagnostics that focus on identifying the virus, VolitionRx's technology measures the host's immune response. The Nu.Q NETs test measures H3.1 nucleosomes, which serve as predictors of organ failure and mortality in patients with sepsis and COVID-19.

Ebola has an average case fatality rate of approximately 50 percent, according to the World Health Organization. The disease is characterized by low white cell count, disseminated intravascular coagulation, immunosuppression and septic shock.

VolitionRx is seeking partnerships with global health organizations, pharmaceutical developers, non-governmental organizations and distribution partners for field trials, manufacturing scale-up and potential deployment in outbreak zones. The company said it wants to collaborate on bringing its lateral flow test prototypes to field applications.

The Belgium-based epigenetics company also maintains operations in the United States and London.

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