Blood Test Accurately Detects Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 23 Mar 2016

Image: Histopathology of the architecture of the lung in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by a so-called “honeycomb” pattern with airways separated by bands of inflamed fibrous connective tissue and to a lesser extent, smooth muscle (Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Dunstan).

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and lethal lung disease characterized by scarring and reduction in the lungs' capacity to absorb oxygen. In the USA, around 100,000 people are currently affected by IPF, with approximately 30,000 to 40,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

Diagnosis of IPF is based on a range of clinical, laboratory, radiological and pathological tests, often to exclude other conditions first. The key diagnostic test currently available is High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT), a costly procedure to which access is limited in many countries. The disease has a poor prognosis, with many patients surviving only three to five years after diagnosis.

Scientists at the Liège University Hospital (Belgium) carried out a clinical study of 78 subjects, 21 were non-treated patients with IPF, 27 patients had been treated for IPF, and 30 were healthy volunteers. Analysis of the preliminary data revealed that a single NuQ biomarker assay (VolitionRx; Namur, Belgium) detected 86% of the non-treated IPF patients (18 of 21) from the healthy subjects with only 6 false positives (80% specificity). Julien Guiot, MD, project coordinator from Liège University Hospital, said, “At present, relatively little is known about this deadly disease. An accurate, cost-effective diagnostic for IPF could have a significant impact in assisting doctors in their efforts to understand the disease and develop a more viable treatment and potential cure.”

Jake Micallef, PhD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer at VolitionRx, said, “Some NuQ biomarker assays are particularly appropriate for the detection of inflammatory diseases such as IPF. To have achieved such impressive accuracy for detecting IPF using only a single such NuQ biomarker assay in this pilot study is very encouraging. Our next step will be to work on a larger study sample and to include additional NuQ biomarker assays to form a panel blood test that could have even greater accuracy.”

Related Links:
Liège University Hospital
VolitionRx