Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT) and Progenika Biopharma are to jointly develop a diagnostic for lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD). The LPLchip test will be based on Progenika’s DNA-chip technology.
The aim is to use the LPLchip assay to diagnose patients with complete and partial LPLD. AMT’s drug Glybera® is in Phase III trials as a treatment for LPLD. The firm plans to file for EU approval of the therapy by the end of this year.
Progenika’s core business is development of genotyping microarrays for use in the diagnosis and prognosis of genetically complex diseases and predicting responses to therapy. Progenika was also selected as a partner because of the company's access to European and North American markets, AMT adds.
“LPLchip will be an important tool in early patient diagnosis, enabling us to make Glybera available to the right patients as quickly as possible,” states Antonio Martinez, Progenika CEO.