The COPD Biomarker Qualification Consortium (CBQC; sponsored by The COPD Foundation) has partnered with Bio-Techne to evaluate a possible indicator for emphysema—sRAGE (soluble form of receptor for advanced glycation end products). Currently, a validated commercial assay or test for sRAGE does not exist.

“We are honored that the CBQC has chosen Bio-Techne as their development partner for this important test,” said Charles R. Kummeth, president and CEO of Bio-Techne. “We have a long history of innovation with different immunoassay technologies and biomarkers that can be applied here to ultimately help improve outcomes for emphysema patients.”

Since 2010, the CBQC has considered several potential measures/biomarkers for submission to the FDA as tools for drug development, including plasma fibrinogen, the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, and the six-minute walk test. According to Bio-Techne, since serum and plasma sRAGE levels can prospectively identify the subset of patients with COPD at greatest risk for emphysema progression, targeted drug/biologic development and treatments could be optimized by using sRAGE measurements. Several large cohort studies have reported sRAGE to be a strong marker of emphysema, even more so than airflow obstruction.

“The CBQC sRAGE working group is excited to partner with Bio-Techne on the qualification of serum sRAGE as a drug development tool. Bio-Techne is an industry leader in assay development and they bring a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to this effort,” stated John Yonchuk, industry working group co-chair (GlaxoSmithKline).

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