LONDON, UK: NetScientific plc’s wholly owned subsidiary ProAxsis Limited has received approval of a key US patent for the underlying technology associated with its brand-new K-POSTN Assay, which it intends to launch shortly.
This is a significant step towards measuring bone health with a new innovation for patients at high risk of osteoporotic fractures.
In partnership with the expert Bone Health team led by Professor Serge Ferrari at the University of Geneva, ProAxsis is creating a highly novel and patented bone-specific enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for the detection of serum K-POSTN, a fragment produced from the digestion of periostin (a type of protein that in humans is encoded by the POSTN gene) by cathepsin K which has localised activity in bone and has been shown to predict incident fractures independently of BMD and FRAX in post-menopausal women.
Dr David Ribeiro, CEO of ProAxsis commented: “The K-POSTN assay has the potential to help Healthcare Professionals screen, identify and/or monitor people most at risk of osteoporotic fractures and other bone diseases, thus enabling early therapeutic intervention which will decrease the burden on the health service and increase quality of life for the patient.
“Furthermore, for Researchers and Pharmaceutical Companies seeking to develop new treatments for osteoporosis, the K-POSTN assay will deliver specific and quantifiable outcome measurements due to the rapid response shown by biomarkers to both anabolic and anticatabolic drugs.”
John Clarkson, Chairman of NetScientific and ProAxsis, commented: “This is another significant step forward in the ProAxsis growth strategy roll-out; continuing the expansion of its product range, improving healthcare and progressing “the transatlantic bridge” into the US market and internationally.”
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