Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Glaucoma Diagnostic Targeted by Mannin Research, McMaster University Collaboration

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) — Q BioMed announced today that its technology partner Mannin Research will collaborate with the Biointerfaces Institute at McMaster University to develop a biomarker-based glaucoma diagnostic assay.

According to New York City-based Q BioMed, the protein biomarker — called growth differentiation factor 15, or GDF15 — can be used to determine the severity of glaucoma and to make treatment decisions. It was discovered at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and exclusively licensed by the company earlier this month.

Mannin Research currently has a small molecule-based treatment for glaucoma in preclinical development, and under the terms of the collaboration it will work with the Biointerfaces Institute to develop a GDF15-based companion diagnostic for the drug. The assay, which will use DNA aptamers to detect GDF15 in aqueous humor, will also be designed for stand-alone diagnostic use at the point of care, according to Q BioMed.

Under a 2015 agreement, Q BioMed holds a license to Mannin's platform technology with an option to acquire the assets.

"Currently, no single examination or diagnostic test is able to accurately predict disease progression, and we believe GDF15 can help preserve visual function in glaucoma patients through accurate monitoring of disease progression," Q BioMed CEO Denis Corin said in a statement.

The Scan

Machine Learning Helps ID Molecular Mechanisms of Pancreatic Islet Beta Cell Subtypes in Type 2 Diabetes

The approach helps overcome limitations of previous studies that had investigated the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic islet beta cells, the authors write in their Nature Genetics paper.

Culture-Based Methods, Shotgun Sequencing Reveal Transmission of Bifidobacterium Strains From Mothers to Infants

In a Nature Communications study, culture-based approaches along with shotgun sequencing give a better picture of the microbial strains transmitted from mothers to infants.

Microbial Communities Can Help Trees Adapt to Changing Climates

Tree seedlings that were inoculated with microbes from dry, warm, or cold sites could better survive drought, heat, and cold stress, according to a study in Science.

A Combination of Genetics and Environment Causes Cleft Lip

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers investigate what combination of genetic and environmental factors come into play to cause cleft lip/palate.