With this agreement, the two companies will provide the tools and solutions necessary to support critical advancements in neurology research
Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. is focused on developing a blood test that could be used by physicians and healthcare providers to rapidly and objectively detect the presence of mild and moderate TBI and improve the medical management of head injured patients. The Company’s test uses two brain specific protein biomarkers (Banyan UCH-L1™ and Banyan GFAP™) that rapidly appear in the blood after a brain injury.
Quanterix’ Simoa platform will incorporate the Banyan UCH-L1™ and Banyan GFAP™ assays to help further neurological research for improved TBI diagnosis and treatment.
“We look forward to collaborating with Quanterix to bring this important test to the labs of researchers studying brain injury. The ability to utilize an ultrasensitive platform in combination with our proprietary biomarkers opens the possibilities for neurological discoveries that have the potential to improve the lives of millions of patients,” stated Hank Nordhoff, Chairman and CEO of Banyan Biomarkers.
According to the CDC, there are over 2.5 million emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or deaths related to TBI, either alone or in combination with other injuries, each year. This results in costs exceeding $82 billion annually, which is a significant burden to the US healthcare system.
The company’s ultrasensitive Simoa technology can detect biomarkers associated with brain injury and disease at much earlier stages to understand the long-term effects and disease pathology. Simoa has already been used in several neurology-focused research programs across a wide range of variables and demographics, including professional hockey , Olympic boxing, the U.S. military and professional football.
“This exciting partnership with Banyan is further evidence of our commitment to driving meaningful advancement in the neurology space,” said Kevin Hrusovsky, CEO and Executive Chairman, Quanterix. “We made significant strides with our recent focus on TBI, and look forward to continuing to expand our efforts in all areas of neurology to improve research, drug development and, ultimately, diagnostics. As we continue to develop informative biomarkers that report on neural and inflammation-related biology – and put these together in multiplex formats – we will be best positioned to develop the most accurate and predictive tests for concussions, CTE, TBI and other neurological disorders.”
Quanterix is focused on aggressively expanding its biomarker menu for all therapeutic areas, with a continued emphasis on neurology. This partnership is supporting the company’s goal of growing their assay menu from 40 to 80 assays by the end of 2016. The addition of Banyan’s GFAP™ and UCH-L1™ biomarkers will expand Simoa’s applications to include a broader and more informative view of biological health status post-head trauma and will be valuable for the assessment of disease-induced neural damage. Quanterix will also be including these markers in a set of neuro-multiplex assays which, as a panel, will be highly informative to research in this therapeutic area.
