CelLBxHealth has entered a collaboration with AdventHealth for the use of its Parsortix circulating tumour cell (CTC) platform in two multicentre studies designed to advance minimally invasive cancer monitoring.

The agreement will see OBT apply its OGAP-Verify discovery and validation platform to identify tumour-selective targets and generate next-generation T-cell engager molecules.

AdventHealth is one of the largest faith-based health systems in the US, providing a broad clinical network for real-world evaluation.

The studies, ACTION and SUNRISE, will isolate and analyse circulating tumour cells from blood samples to assess treatment response and tumour biology without the need for invasive biopsies.

Researchers will use the platform for both enumeration and PD-L1 characterisation, offering real-time insight into how tumours evolve during therapy.

ACTION is an NIH-funded trial enrolling 219 patients to examine how different levels of aerobic exercise influence chemotherapy tolerability in colon cancer.

SUNRISE, due to begin in July 2026, will recruit 120 patients with gastrointestinal and lung cancers to evaluate whether remotely delivered exercise interventions can improve chemotherapy tolerance and quality of life.

Across both studies, CTC analysis will serve as a novel correlative endpoint, supporting efforts to understand how behavioural interventions and treatment regimens shape tumour dynamics.

A key aim is to bring advanced cancer monitoring closer to patients’ homes. With most US cancer care delivered in community settings, combining remote interventions with simple blood-based diagnostics could reduce travel, lessen patient burden and enable continuous monitoring regardless of geography.

The approach also seeks to address entrenched health inequalities that limit access to specialist oncology services.

AdventHealth’s national footprint provides a strong platform to scale these technologies in routine practice.

For CelLBxHealth, the collaboration represents a significant commercial opportunity to validate and expand adoption of the Parsortix platform across a major integrated health system, supporting broader use of liquid biopsy in everyday oncology care.

The MHRA is establishing a new hub in Northern Ireland to support the region’s fast-growing life sciences sector, in a move announced on 13 May 2026. Hosted by Invest Northern Ireland, the hub is intended to strengthen collaboration between the regulator and local healthcare, academic and industry partners.

Northern Ireland is home to around 250 life sciences businesses, supporting 18,000 jobs and contributing £1.1 billion to the economy.

The new Belfast base will allow local organisations to book in-person sessions with MHRA technical experts on areas including innovation pathways and clinical investigations, with signposting to further regulatory support across the product development pipeline. The MHRA said this direct access will help accelerate clinical research and the development of new therapies.

The hub follows a series of stakeholder liaison events launched at the HIRANI Health Tech Spring Conference in April 2026, and builds on commitments made after the MHRA Board meeting held in Belfast in November 2025. Work is already under way to expand use of the Yellow Card scheme across Northern Ireland to strengthen safety surveillance.

Professor Anthony Harnden, MHRA Chair, said: “One of my priorities since becoming chair has been to ensure the MHRA is a regulator for all nations with an increased presence and engagement with our partners and stakeholders across the UK.”

Professor Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Northern Ireland, said: “The establishment of an MHRA hub in Northern Ireland, hosted by Invest NI, reflects the strong collaborative relationship and sustained engagement between Northern Ireland agencies and the MHRA in recent months.”