Predictive tests: diagnosing disease before it arises

We are all different. It’s what makes us unique. Companies are all too aware of this, with  experiences and products evolving to cater to personal needs and preferences. From mixing custom skin care formulations to Spotify music recommendations, personalised experiences are more memorable and valuable to the customer. The same goes for medicine. Personalisation means that we can streamline medical treatment and even get to the crux of a problem before it even arises. 

Personalised medicine is rapidly becoming mainstream, allowing for better treatment decisions and patient outcomes. Predictive tests are already commonplace in prenatal care and family planning with genetic testing used to identify genetic disorders before a baby is born. Testing for the likelihood of most diseases though, is not yet possible. 

Proteomics International (ASX: PIQ) is a diagnostic tech company looking to create predictive tests for the incidence of disease. One test of theirs focuses on diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with Type 2 Diabetes and no existing DKD. DKD is a major complication of diabetes. 

The simple blood test (PromarkerD) is designed to detect certain biomarkers of early onset DKD and takes into account three routinely available clinical variables to accurately predict the likelihood of disease; age, HDL- cholesterol and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Due to its unique algorithm and biomarker readings, the test has performed well in clinical testing, predicting up to 86% of otherwise healthy diabetics who then developed DKD within 4 years. Early diagnosis thanks to these predictions means that doctors have more time to act and intervene early to improve clinical outcomes for patients by delaying the onset of disease.

The Company has partnered with Apacor Limited to distribute the test throughout Great Britain where 4.8 million people live with diabetes. Apacor has been granted exclusive distribution rights for a minimum term of two years which will commence upon PromarkerD’s registration with the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. PIQ predicts that this will clear within the next two months. The test is already CE marked in the EU. 

PIQ’s Managing Director, Dr. Richard Lipscombe said: “After extensive due diligence, we identified Apacor as a great partner for PromarkerD in Britain- they are well connected and we are already in contact with key bodies and opinion leaders to promote the test and bring PromarkerD into the clinic.”

“The easy-to-use PromarkerD immunoassay platform allows hundreds of blood samples to be analysed quickly as part of a panel of routine blood tests and we expect this UK distribution deal to further drive global demand for the test.”