NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – GMSbiotech and Pure Protein announced today that they have received a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a donor-specific antibody (DSA) diagnostic for use in organ transplant patients.
The companies will combine GMSbiotech's proprietary microarray platform with soluble human leukocyte antigen proteins produced by Pure Protein. The resulting assay will be designed to analyze patients' DSA levels for the detection of antibody-mediated rejection of transplants.
"The combination of GMSbiotech's novel Protein Array platform with Pure Protein’s unique sHLA proteins will allow for the development of a superior assay that we believe will have significant clinical impact in the transplantation field," GMSbiotech Interim CEO and Chairman Krishna Jayaraman said in a statement.
Pure Protein Director of Research Rico Buchli added, "The final product will fulfill a critical need long sought after by key leaders and clinicians in the transplant community."
The partnership follows on a 2013 alliance between GMSbiotech and Pure Transplant Solutions, a subsidiary of Pure Protein, focused on developing antibody-screening technology.