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Fast Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Diseases: Ascenion Mediates Licence Agreement between MHH and Roche Diagnostics
February 3, 2009 Munich, Germany -- From the bench to the bedside: Hanover Medical School (MHH) and Roche Diagnostics Ltd have signed a licence agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, the pharmaceutical company obtains the exclusive right to use a marker discovered by MHH cardiologists, growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Roche Diagnostics also receives global marketing rights to a cardiovascular test that was developed at the MHH for the rapid identification of high-risk patients. The agreement was negotiated by Ascenion GmbH, a life-science focused IP asset management company with an office at the MHH.
"The signing of the agreement is a great success in our collaboration with Ascenion", says Prof. Dr Dieter Bitter-Suermann, President of the MHH. "It highlights how rapidly our excellent research can be translated into novel products, procedures or services that significantly improve the diagnosis or treatment of severe diseases. Patients will benefit from our translational research."
Researchers at the MHH Hospital for Cardiology and Angiology around Prof. Dr Kai C. Wollert have identified GDF-15 as a marker in the blood of patients with acute coronary syndromes that indicates whether a cardiac catheter examination is required. The risk of severe complications following acute coronary syndromes varies from one patient to another. At present, only ECG findings and results from laboratory analyses can indicate whether a patient is "just" suffering from an instable angina pectoris or has experienced a heart attack. It may take up to 12 hours to make a precise diagnosis which then determines the therapeutic strategy. While a cardiac catheter examination is most appropriate for some patients, pharmaceutical treatment is most suitable for others. Using the new marker, growth-differentiation factor GDF-15, the severity of the acute coronary syndrome can be ascertained by a simple blood examination right at the time of hospitalization. "As soon as the GDF-15 level in a patient's blood has been determined, physicians can reasonably define the most appropriate treatment scheme for the individual patient", Prof. Wollert emphasises. This is a significant improvement in the treatment of patients with acute cardiovascular symptoms. GDF-15 is also relevant in other cardiovascular conditions, e.g. in patients with atrial fibrillation. Independent of functional changes, GDF-15 can provide valuable information to guide therapeutic treatment.
MHH cardiologists, together with Roche Diagnostics, have already developed a prototype assay for the rapid determination of GDF-15 in blood. "A year ago, the analysis still took about two days. But today, thanks to our automated diagnostic kit, we can determine the GDF-15 level in blood in just 10 minutes", Prof. Wollert points out.
For Roche Diagnostics, the addition of GDF-15 to their cardiac marker portfolio is an important step to a multimarker approach in cardiovascular diseases which will lead to a better understanding of these diseases, improved treatment and survival.
"The collaboration between MHH and Roche to date and the conclusion of the licence agreement provide excellent examples of how medical research and industry can efficiently work hand in hand", comments Dr Ralf Cordes, Ascenion's Technology Manager for the MHH. "It also demonstrates that MHH research can be of immediate, practical value for patients."
