Major Clinical Diagnostics Companies Exchange Cardiac Biomarker Licenses

Dade Behring, Inc. (Deerfield, IL, USA) has granted a license to Beckman Coulter (Fullerton, CA, USA) for the combined use of emerging cardiac markers. At the same time, Beckman Coulter licensed the use of PAPP-A to Dade Behring. Studies have shown that all of these cardiac markers have potential to be useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
Emerging cardiac markers include placental growth factor (PIGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1(sFlt-1), soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L), and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A). These cardiac markers have the potential to be useful in the diagnosis, risk assessment, and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. They also provide independent, complementary information to routine cardiac markers such as troponin I, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP).
PIGF is considered to be a marker, and PAPP-A a potential marker, of atherosclerotic plaque instability. Both markers were originally identified in the placenta. PIGF has also been recognized as an independent and powerful predictor for adverse outcomes for patients with known or suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
CD40L has been proposed as a marker for primary risk assessment for cardiovascular disease. It has also been proposed for the identification of patients who benefit from glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist ReoPro (abciximab) therapy, commonly used to prevent blood clots. Studies have shown show that sCD40L is also an independent prognostic marker for ACS.


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