Dade Behring to Develop Cardiac Marker Tests

Certain semi-exclusive diagnostic rights for the commercialization of automated diagnostic tests using myeloperoxidase (MPO) have been granted to Dade Behring (Deerfield, IL, USA) by The Cleveland Clinic (OH, USA).

According to research conducted at The Cleveland Clinic, MPO testing may be particularly beneficial in patients with chest pain who exhibit low initial troponin (a) levels, usually an indication that no heart muscle cells have died. In this case, the presence of an elevated MPO level has been linked to risk for subsequent cardiac events. Therefore, a simple MPO blood test has the potential to help doctors identify patients at risk of subsequent heart attack and refer them for treatment prior to the occurrence of heart damage.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic investigated initial MPO levels in more than 600 patients in the emergency room complaining of chest pain. By using an MPO blood test in addition to laboratory-based risk assessments, they increased their ability to identify patients who would have heart problems during the next 30 days to six months from 54% to 85%. A larger study in Europe has confirmed these results.

"The potential of a simple blood test to help identify patients at particular risk of heart damage is very exciting,” commented Eric J. Topol, M.D., chairman of The Cleveland Clinic's department of cardiovascular medicine. "We need to build on the great success of the troponin test in changing medicine, and the MPO test may be a way to do that.”





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