Advanced Diabetes Diagnostic Tests Now Available in Europe

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 28 Sep 2014

Image: The Quantose IR test is a laboratory-developed test (LDT) that measures the concentration of four metabolites: alpha-hydroxybutyrate (AHB), linoleoyglycerophosphocholine (L-GPC), oleic acid, and insulin (Photo courtesy of Metabolon, Inc.).

A pair of advanced diagnostic tests that help identify individual with type II diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions are now available for use by hospital and clinical laboratories in Europe.

Metabolon, Inc., (Research Triangle Park, NC, USA) a global leader in the field of diagnostic metabolomics, will be marketing its Quantose IR and Quantose IGT pre-diabetes tests in Europe via the Spanish biomedical company Metdia Biotech, S.L.

Quantose IR is an LDT (laboratory-developed test) that indicates levels of insulin resistance. This blood test is based on insulin and three nonglycemic biomarkers (alpha-hydroxybutyrate, linoleoyglycerophosphocholine, and oleic acid). It assesses risk of progression to pre-diabetes earlier than traditional glycemic markers such a hemoglobin A1c. The Quantose IGT assay is an LDT that measures the degree of impaired glucose tolerance. Impaired glucose tolerance is a core metabolic defect in dysglycemia and is a known risk factor for pre-diabetes. Quantose IGT may be used as an alternative to the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

"Diabetes is a significant global health concern, and the costs to society are high and growing rapidly," said Oscar Rodriguez, director of Metdia Biotech. "According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 55 million adults in the European Region are coping with diabetes every day. Another 66 million have impaired glucose tolerance, a known risk factor for pre-diabetes. Tests using Metabolon's Quantose technology provide cost-effective assessment tools that help physicians identify patients with pre-diabetes and monitor the impact of therapeutic interventions. If pre-diabetes is caught early, physicians can prescribe treatment that might prevent progression to type II diabetes."

"Licensing our Quantose IR and Quantose IGT technology to Metdia in Europe is an important next step in expanding the availability of these obesity-related diagnostic tests outside the US," said Dr. John Ryals, president and CEO at Metabolon. "We are confident in Metdia's broad knowledge of the molecular diagnostics market in Europe."

Metdia will market the tests to hospitals and clinical laboratories in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria.

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Metabolon, Inc.