Vermillion last week reported results demonstrating the utility of its Vasclir protein biomarker test for peripheral artery disease.
In a poster at the Society for Vascular Medicine's annual meeting in Minneapolis, researchers led by Stanford professor of medicine John Cooke presented results from a 1,025-subject, multi-center prospective study that found the Vasclir test was able to identify 85 percent of PAD patients missed by the Framingham Risk Score – a conventional measure of risk for cardiovascular disease.
In a low FRS-scoring patient subgroup that the researchers used as an intended use population to assess the test as a screening tool the diagnostic demonstrated 85 percent sensitivity and 46 specificity.
"Since one in every 20 Americans over the age of 50 has PAD, this study suggests the possibility for a simple and practical way to screen at-risk patients," Cooke said in a statement. "By detecting undiagnosed or asymptomatic PAD, primary care physicians can intervene earlier and improve the health and prognosis for their patients."
Vasclir is the second test Quest Diagnostics accepted from the company as part of the partners' three-test strategic alliance agreement, and is currently one of Vermillion's primary research focuses.