NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The non-profit Proof Centre of Excellence today said that it has partnered with Luminex on creating biomarker-based tests for heart and kidney transplant patients.
The Vancouver, BC-based organization said that it has internally validated blood-based proteomic and genomic biomarker tests to diagnose and predict allograft immune rejection in heart and kidney transplants. It will work with Luminex to further develop and validate the tests on the Luminex xMAP multiplex platform. The Proof Centre also said that it intends to seek regulatory approval for the tests, which it expects to be available in hospital labs, in 2011.
"By guiding the need for biopsy tests with a reliable, quantitative blood biomarker test that measures proteins or genes in the blood, we can provide less expensive, better care while gaining insights into the biology of rejection or immune accommodation," Bruce McManus, director of the Proof Centre of Excellence, said in a statement. "We expect Luminex's involvement will not only speed up processes and decrease hurdles in development, but also create a better and more meaningful product for patients, physicians, and our healthcare system."
The Proof Centre is a not-for-profit collaboration of industry, academia, health care, government, and patients focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing biomarkers for heart, lung and kidney failure. The centre was created in 2008 and is hosted by the University of British Columbia.