OXFORD, United Kingdom and MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Oxford Immunotec Global PLC (Nasdaq:OXFD) (the “Company”), a global, high-growth diagnostics company, today announces two ground-breaking publications in Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID) on the performance of T-SPOT.CMV; a test for measuring the strength of a patient’s cellular immune response to Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in kidney and stem cell transplant.  Increased response in the T-SPOT.CMV test is associated with protection against CMV infection.  Application of the test raises the prospect of improved, individualized management of CMV infection risk in transplant recipients. 
The key findings from the RESPECT⁽¹⁾ study in kidney transplant recipients are:T-SPOT.CMV provides clear stratification of patients for probability of CMV infectionPre-transplant testing with T-SPOT.CMV identifies kidney transplants at high risk of developing CMV infectionApplication of the test soon after transplant further refines CMV infection riskThe key findings from the REACT⁽²⁾ study in stem cell transplant recipients are:Patients with a low response in the T-SPOT.CMV test were at increased risk for clinically significant CMV infectionThe T-SPOT.CMV test result was a significant and independent predictor of clinically significant CMV infectionPatients with low response in the T-SPOT.CMV test and clinically significant CMV had the highest all-cause mortalityDr. Oriol Bestard, Head of Kidney Transplant Unit, Bellvitge University Hospital of Barcelona, Spain and lead author on the study explained, “The RESPECT study evidence demonstrates that T-SPOT.CMV accurately predicts the risk of CMV infection.  The results of this study provide an opportunity for implementing personalized medicine to manage CMV infection in kidney transplantation.”Additionally, Dr. Roy F Chemaly, Director of the clinical virology research program, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center of Houston, TX and lead author on the REACT study commented, “This is the largest report to establish clinical performance characteristics for T-SPOT.CMV in stem cell transplant patients.  T-SPOT.CMV, as part of a surveillance strategy, could help identify patients at risk of CMV infection.”“We’re pleased with the results from the RESPECT study which validate the clinical utility of T-SPOT.CMV in kidney transplant.  This test addresses an unmet need and brings clinical and economic value to the transplant setting,” said Dr. Peter Wrighton-Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Immunotec.  “Additionally, the data generated from the REACT study also shows that the T-SPOT.CMV test accurately predicts CMV infection in stem cell transplant patients.  We’re excited to begin the process of bringing the benefits of this test to the kidney and stem cell transplant setting.”About the T-SPOT.CMV testThe T-SPOT.CMV test leverages Oxford Immunotec’s proprietary T-SPOT technology platform to measure the strength of a patient’s cellular immune response to antigens specific to CMV.  CMV can affect individuals with weaknesses in their T cell response and it is therefore an important and common cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.  The T-SPOT.CMV test has the potential to assist clinicians with monitoring anti-viral prophylaxis and evaluating patients at risk from CMV infection.  T cell immunity against CMV is a factor in controlling viral latency and susceptibility to CMV infection, a common and serious complication in both solid organ and stem cell transplantation.About Oxford ImmunotecOxford Immunotec Global PLC is a global, high-growth diagnostics company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary assays for immunology and infectious disease.  The Company’s T-SPOT.TB test has been approved for sale in over 60 countries, including the United States, where it has received pre-market approval from the Food and Drug Administration, Europe, where it has obtained a CE mark, as well as Japan and China.  The Company is headquartered near Oxford, U.K. and in Marlborough, MA. Additional information can be found at www.oxfordimmunotec.com.
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