Cellbxhealth plc, previously called Angle plc, appointed CEO Peter Collins along with several non-executives to its board as it embarks on a new strategic direction. Over the past few months the company overhauled its management team, reduced its workforce by 60% and raised £8.2 million (US$11 million) as it changes focus from research to commercialization of its Parsortix system, a platform that captures and harvests circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Angle plc recently signed an agreement with Astrazeneca plc to develop an androgen receptor (AR) detection assay for use in prostate cancer studies, based on its Parsortix system, which captures and harvest circulating tumor cells for subsequent analysis.

Angle plc’s Parsortix system, which captures and harvest circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for liquid biopsy analysis, has been used in breakthrough work by researchers at the University of New Mexico looking into the role of CTC gene expression in the progression of melanoma brain metastasis. The researchers used the Parsortix system to harvest CTCs for analysis and concluded that “… gene expression in CTCs could be pivotal to prescribing more targeted treatment based on the needs of the patient.”

U.K.’s Angle plc has become the first company to receive a U.S. FDA product clearance for harvesting intact cancer cells for analysis. Angle reported it scored FDA clearance for its Parsortix system for the capture and harvest of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from metastatic breast cancer patient blood. Shares in the AIM-listed company soared by more than 50% following the news.