Monitoring Test Helps Guide Inflammatory Bowel Disease Management
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 31 Jul 2012 |
A new generation test measures drug (infliximab) and drug antibody levels in one sample among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients who use infliximab.
The newly launched test helps physicians to identify potential causes for loss of treatment response and helps to guide patient management decisions.
The new generation test is called Anser IFX and is a product of Prometheus Laboratories Inc., (San Diego, CA, USA). The Anser IFX test was verified with more than 3,000 IBD clinical patient samples. The test uses Prometheus' nonradiolabeled homogeneous mobility-shift assay (HMSA) to measure the antibodies-to-infliximab (ATI) and IFX levels in serum samples.
Approximately 50% of IBD patients using infliximab may eventually experience a loss of treatment response. For some patients, this loss of treatment response may be the result of insufficient infliximab levels. For others, the loss may be due to the development of antibodies to infliximab (ATI). If the loss of treatment response is due to the development of ATI, increasing the infliximab dose–the most common first step for physicians–may be less effective than switching to another treatment agent.
"The need for Prometheus Anser IFX is high, and its availability marks the latest milestone in our continuing commitment to significant advancements in personalized medicine for gastroenterologists, patients, and healthcare providers," said Joseph M. Limber, president and CEO of Prometheus.
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic inflammatory conditions of the intestinal tract. Symptoms of the disease may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and rectal bleeding. Patients may require long-term medical care, including hospitalizations, surgeries and therapeutics. Sometimes the condition is difficult to diagnose, treat, and manage clinically.
Prometheus intends to use this platform for the introduction of additional tests targeted to other biologic agents being used to treat a variety of autoimmune diseases.
Related Links:
Prometheus Laboratories Inc.
The newly launched test helps physicians to identify potential causes for loss of treatment response and helps to guide patient management decisions.
The new generation test is called Anser IFX and is a product of Prometheus Laboratories Inc., (San Diego, CA, USA). The Anser IFX test was verified with more than 3,000 IBD clinical patient samples. The test uses Prometheus' nonradiolabeled homogeneous mobility-shift assay (HMSA) to measure the antibodies-to-infliximab (ATI) and IFX levels in serum samples.
Approximately 50% of IBD patients using infliximab may eventually experience a loss of treatment response. For some patients, this loss of treatment response may be the result of insufficient infliximab levels. For others, the loss may be due to the development of antibodies to infliximab (ATI). If the loss of treatment response is due to the development of ATI, increasing the infliximab dose–the most common first step for physicians–may be less effective than switching to another treatment agent.
"The need for Prometheus Anser IFX is high, and its availability marks the latest milestone in our continuing commitment to significant advancements in personalized medicine for gastroenterologists, patients, and healthcare providers," said Joseph M. Limber, president and CEO of Prometheus.
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic inflammatory conditions of the intestinal tract. Symptoms of the disease may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and rectal bleeding. Patients may require long-term medical care, including hospitalizations, surgeries and therapeutics. Sometimes the condition is difficult to diagnose, treat, and manage clinically.
Prometheus intends to use this platform for the introduction of additional tests targeted to other biologic agents being used to treat a variety of autoimmune diseases.
Related Links:
Prometheus Laboratories Inc.
Latest Immunology News
- Cancer Mutation ‘Fingerprints’ to Improve Prediction of Immunotherapy Response
- Immune Signature Identified in Treatment-Resistant Myasthenia Gravis
- New Biomarker Predicts Chemotherapy Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Blood Test Identifies Lung Cancer Patients Who Can Benefit from Immunotherapy Drug
- Whole-Genome Sequencing Approach Identifies Cancer Patients Benefitting From PARP-Inhibitor Treatment
- Ultrasensitive Liquid Biopsy Demonstrates Efficacy in Predicting Immunotherapy Response
- Blood Test Could Identify Colon Cancer Patients to Benefit from NSAIDs
- Blood Test Could Detect Adverse Immunotherapy Effects
- Routine Blood Test Can Predict Who Benefits Most from CAR T-Cell Therapy
- New Test Distinguishes Vaccine-Induced False Positives from Active HIV Infection
- Gene Signature Test Predicts Response to Key Breast Cancer Treatment
- Chip Captures Cancer Cells from Blood to Help Select Right Breast Cancer Treatment
- Blood-Based Liquid Biopsy Model Analyzes Immunotherapy Effectiveness
- Signature Genes Predict T-Cell Expansion in Cancer Immunotherapy
- Molecular Microscope Diagnostic System Assesses Lung Transplant Rejection
- Blood Test Tracks Treatment Resistance in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
AI-Powered Blood Test Distinguishes Deadly Cardiac Events
Two life-threatening cardiovascular emergencies—myocardial infarction and aortic dissection—often present with the same symptom: sudden, severe chest pain. Yet the treatments for these conditions are fundamentally... Read more
Blood Test Tracks Transplant Health Using Donor DNA
Organ transplantation offers life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage disease, but complications such as rejection remain a constant risk. Monitoring transplanted organs typically relies on invasive... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
New Blood Test Aims to Transform Liver Cancer Surveillance
Liver cancer is one of the fastest‑growing causes of cancer‑related death in the U.S., and surveillance programs face gaps in performance and patient adherence that contribute to late diagnoses.... Read more
Blood Immune 'Fingerprint' Predicts Side Effects of New Alzheimer's Drug
New antibody therapies for Alzheimer’s disease have shown promise in slowing disease progression, but their broader use has been limited by a common side effect known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA).... Read more
Clinical Diagnostic Test Detects Additional Genetic Variants in Acute Leukemia Patients
Genetic testing plays a critical role in diagnosing acute leukemia, determining disease subtype, guiding treatment decisions, and predicting patient outcomes. However, traditional diagnostic workflows... Read moreHematology
view channel
Rapid Cartridge-Based Test Aims to Expand Access to Hemoglobin Disorder Diagnosis
Sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia are hemoglobin disorders that often require referral to specialized laboratories for definitive diagnosis, delaying results for patients and clinicians.... Read more
New Guidelines Aim to Improve AL Amyloidosis Diagnosis
Light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare, life-threatening bone marrow disorder in which abnormal amyloid proteins accumulate in organs. Approximately 3,260 people in the United States are diagnosed... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Study Highlights Accuracy Gaps in Consumer Gut Microbiome Kits
Direct-to-consumer gut microbiome kits promise personalized insights by profiling fecal bacteria and generating health readouts, but their analytical accuracy remains uncertain. A new study shows that... Read more
WHO Recommends Near POC Tests, Tongue Swabs and Sputum Pooling for TB Diagnosis
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, yet millions of cases go undiagnosed or are detected too late. Barriers such as reliance on sputum samples, limited laboratory... Read morePathology
view channel
New Chromogenic Culture Media Enable Rapid Detection of Candida Infections
Invasive Candida infections are challenging for healthcare systems, with some strains spreading rapidly in hospitals and showing resistance to multiple antifungal drugs. Candida auris is associated with... Read more
Novel mcPCR Technology to Transform Testing of Clinical Samples
DNA methylation is an important biological marker used in the diagnosis and monitoring of many diseases, including cancer. These chemical modifications to DNA influence gene activity and can reveal early... Read moreTechnology
view channel
AI Model Outperforms Clinicians in Rare Disease Detection
Rare diseases affect an estimated 300 million people worldwide, yet diagnosis is often protracted and error-prone. Many conditions present with heterogeneous signs that overlap with common disorders, leading... Read more
AI-Driven Diagnostic Demonstrates High Accuracy in Detecting Periprosthetic Joint Infection
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare but serious complication affecting 1% to 2% of primary joint replacement surgeries. The condition occurs when bacteria or fungi infect tissues around an implanted... Read moreIndustry
view channel
MGI Tech Strengthens Sequencing Portfolio with Dual Acquisition
MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen, China) announced the acquisition of STOmics and CycloneSEQ on March 3, 2026, as part of its “SEQALL+GLI+Omics” strategy. According to the company, the combined portfolio spans... Read more
Agilent Technologies Acquires Pathology Diagnostics Company Biocare Medical
Agilent Technologies (Santa Clara, CA, USA) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Biocare Medical (Pacheco, CA, USA), expanding its pathology portfolio through the addition of highly complementary... Read more








