LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Artificial intelligence (AI) data analytics company Ixico has been awarded a £3.4m contract to run over 4.5 years by an existing client, it announced on Thursday, for a spinocerebellar ataxia type-3 (SCA3) trial.

The AIM-traded firm said SCA3, also known as Machado-Joseph disease, is a rare neurodegenerative condition resulting in movement disorders, rigidity, muscular atrophy and paralysis.

Currently there was no treatment to slow down or reverse the progressive course of the terminal disease.

For the study, Ixico said it would provide operational services and advanced AI neuroimaging for volumetric, diffusion and functional magnetic resonance imaging, as well as magnetic resonance spectroscopy and quantitative susceptibility mapping.

"SCA3 is an area with clear, unmet medical needs and we are delighted to be chosen as the neuroimaging partner in this spinocerebellar ataxia trial," said chief commercial officer Lammert Albers.

"Neuroimaging, with its unique ability to reveal extraordinary information about the structural and functional characteristics of the human brain is a powerful tool in CNS studies, and we are proud to support our clients in potentially unlocking new insights into disease progression."

At 1146 GMT, shares in Ixico were up 2.93% at 103.7p.

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