Patent covers heart fatty acid binding protein and/or brain fatty acid binding protein biomakers.
Proteome Sciences received a European patent that lays claim to methods of diagnosing stroke by measuring the levels of heart fatty acid binding protein and/or brain fatty acid binding protein (FABP’s).
“The allowance of the European patent following issuance of the related U.S. case on some of our earliest biomarkers is further validation of the patentability of proteomics biomarkers in the second largest economic market,” remarks Christopher Pearce, chief executive.
The presence of FABP’s in the blood of patients suffering from stroke was discovered by scientists at the University of Geneva in collaboration with Proteome Sciences. The two parties have subsequently worked together to validate their utility for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of stroke. This has additionally resulted in the discovery of further protein biomarkers, all of which are subject to patent applications in the major patent jurisdictions including the U.S., Europe, and the Far East, from which combinations of stroke markers will be used to make panels for the diagnosis and prognosis of stroke in blood.
“We anticipate the issuance of further patents relating to the FABP’s in other territories and that our pending applications for the other stroke biomarkers will proceed to grant,” says Pearce. “Issued European and U.S. patents relating to our stroke biomarkers will enhance the continuing licensing process and we expect that further of the major global players in clinical diagnostics will now want to include and develop our biomarkers as in vitro diagnostic tests.”
