Ciphergen and Quest Develop Peripheral Artery Disease Diagnostic

Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc. (Fremont, CA, USA) announced that Quest Diagnostics has accepted the second development plan from Ciphergen under their existing strategic alliance agreement. In addition to the current ovarian tumor triage test, Quest Diagnostics will now also assist Ciphergen in the development of a blood-based assay for the detection of peripheral artery disease (PAD).

We are pleased that Quest Diagnostics has chosen the development of this PAD diagnostic test as the second of three programs that we will jointly develop, said Gail S. Page, president and CEO of Ciphergen. The first program under our strategic alliance, an ovarian tumor triage test, is making excellent progress.

Ciphergen is working with Stanford University (Stanford, CA, USA)to develop a blood test that will help physicians in the diagnosis of PAD. Similar to cardiovascular disease, PAD is caused by the buildup of fat and cholesterol, known as plaque, in the peripheral arteries and disrupts normal bloodflow leading to stenosis, an embolism or thrombus formation. Research has shown that nearly 75% of people with PAD do not experience symptoms. Proper diagnosis and early treatment can significantly improve the prognosis for patients with this disease.

Ciphergen's comprehensive diagnostic development programs are being conducted with several leading collaborators at Stanford University, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA), The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA), University College (London, UK), and the University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY, USA).



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