Trinity Biotech acquires EpiCapture for initial $3M consideration

Trinity Biotech (TRIB) announced the acquisition of EpiCapture. This acquisition marks Trinity Biotech’s strategic expansion into the oncology diagnostics market. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among men in the U.S., with about 1 in 8 men diagnosed during their lifetime and the cost for diagnosis and treatment estimated at over approximately $10B annually. The ability to accurately monitor prostate cancer progression is critical, as the disease can often be slow-growing, and unnecessary invasive interventions, such as prostate biopsies, can lead to significant complications. The EpiCapture test could significantly reduce the frequency of these interventions, thereby improving the quality of life for patients. EpiCapture’s urine-based test is designed to reduce the need for repeated invasive prostate biopsies for patients undergoing active surveillance for prostate cancer. The test offers a breakthrough approach to monitoring disease progression by using epigenetic analysis to detect DNA methylation patterns that are indicative of high-grade cancer. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology – Precision Oncology demonstrated that, when combined with the widely used prostate-specific antigen test, EpiCapture’s test “correctly predicted all high-grade cancers.” Trinity Biotech plans to leverage its 30 years of experience in diagnostic product optimization and manufacturing to commercialize the EpiCapture test in the US while also exploring regulatory pathways for launching the test in additional markets. Trinity Biotech acquired EpiCapture for initial consideration of approximately $3M, with an additional consideration of $0.5M contingent on the achievement of future milestones. The initial consideration was paid through the issuance of approximately 1.7M American Depository Shares in Trinity Biotech. EpiCapture is a spin-out company of NovaUCD, part of University College Dublin.