Beckman Coulter and SphingoTec Partner to Improve Kidney Health Assessment in Critical Care

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 10 Oct 2024

Image: This alliance aims to significantly enhance the diagnostic capabilities for AKI (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) is rising in both hospital and community settings, with an estimated 13 million people affected globally each year. Current biomarkers used in critical care to detect AKI include serum creatinine and urine output. However, these biomarkers have significant limitations, offering delayed, error-prone, and unspecific insights. Emerging research highlights that the kidney function biomarker Proenkephalin 119-159 (penKid) can address these shortcomings. PenKid, a real-time biomarker present in plasma, provides a more accurate and timely assessment of kidney function, especially in critical care environments. Unlike traditional methods, penKid has been shown to detect kidney function decline earlier and is not influenced by inflammation, which may allow for earlier interventions and better patient outcomes. Now, a new partnership aims to improve kidney health assessment in critical care by leveraging the penKid kidney function biomarker.

In an effort to enhance kidney health assessments in critical care, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (Brea, CA, USA) has partnered with SphingoTec GmbH (Hennigsdorf, Germany) to integrate SphingoTec's penKid assay into Beckman Coulter's extensive test offerings on its Access Family of immunoassay analyzers. This collaboration marks the first central laboratory license for a penKid assay and seeks to significantly expand diagnostic capabilities for AKI worldwide by leveraging Beckman Coulter's large installed base of instruments. Under this agreement, Beckman Coulter will develop and validate a fully automated diagnostic test for penKid using SphingoTec's IVD-certified assay, which has already been implemented as a routine test in select university hospitals. This partnership will make penKid assays widely available in central laboratories, enabling critical care physicians to perform timely and accurate kidney health assessments.

“Acute kidney injury exerts a profound impact on patients globally, complicates acute and chronic illnesses frequently resulting in poor outcomes, and rivals many other critical diseases in its severity and consequences,” said Kevin O’Reilly, President, at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics. “The published evidence for penKid testing combined with SphingoTec’s scientific expertise provides an exciting opportunity to improve kidney health management. Working with SphingoTec, our goal is to expand access to and improve workflow from this important kidney health innovation underscoring our commitment to enhancing patient care worldwide.”

“The development of a penKid-based assay for use on Beckman Coulter’s globally installed immunoassay platforms represents a significant step toward realizing our vision of transforming diagnostic innovation into tangible patient benefits,” added Deborah Bergmann, Managing Director and CEO of SphingoTec. “This partnership accelerates our mission to deliver precise, actionable insights to clinicians worldwide, ultimately improving outcomes for patients suffering from acute kidney injury.”

Related Links:
Beckman Coulter Diagnostics
SphingoTec GmbH