Product category:
Clinical chemistry analysis
News Release from: Perkin Elmer LAS (UK) | Subject: Adam12
Edited by the Laboratorytalk Editorial
Team on 13 May 2005
Better management of high-risk
pregnancies
Maternal health marker has strong potential to improve prenatal risk assessment through enhanced detection of chromosomal abnormalities and diseases of late pregnancy
PerkinElmer has entered into a global agreement with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, to develop assay kits for the biochemical marker Adam12 Adam12 has broad potential in maternal health screening as a marker for foetal chromosomal abnormalities as well as for intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and pre-eclampsia, both of which can result in, maternal, foetal and long-term complications if left undiagnosed
This article was originally published on Laboratorytalk on 19 Apr 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Probing the source of diabetes
Newly developed gene probes increase efficiency and speed of research in studies of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes, detecting the presence of alleles by hybridisation reaction
Manage the entire gene expression process
With microarray labs generating more than one million primary data points daily, this gene expression data management software could speed up actual gene and drug discovery
The agreement covers exclusivity in North America and co-exclusivity in Europe, Central and South America.
Kits will be developed for the complete portfolio of PerkinElmer platforms, including Autodelfia, Delfia Xpress and manual Delfia platforms.
"We are very excited about the potential of this marker for improving the performance of prenatal risk assessment," said Ann-Christine Sundell, vice president and general manager, genetic screening, PerkinElmer.
Further reading
Protein workstation details revealed
Claimed to be the first of its kind, this workstation fully automates the processing of microscope slide-based protein microarrays
More genes in human cDNA microarray
Human cDNA microarray system for researchers seeking access to premium gene content as well proprietary detection technology for ultra-sensitive gene expression results
"The inclusion of Adam12 with other existing biochemical markers in both the first and second trimester of pregnancy is expected to offer enhanced detection and reduced false positives, therefore decreasing the need for invasive diagnostic testing, which carries an associated procedural loss rate often quoted as one percent".
"The University of Copenhagen is very pleased to announce the agreement with PerkinElmer.
"Our technology transfer unit was established to make sure that the University's most promising research results are commercialised in collaboration with companies who will be able to bring them to the market in an efficient and responsible way," said Ralf Hemmingsen, dean at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen.
"The dialogue with PerkinElmer has been very constructive and we find it immensely encouraging that research performed in Copenhagen will form the basis of a product that can be of benefit to pregnant women".
A team consisting of Ulla Wewer at the University of Copenhagen, Michael Christiansen from Statens Serum Institut (SSI) and Kevin Spencer at the Harold Wood Hospital in England have done all of the groundwork and tested Adam12 in several thousand samples from pregnant women, to investigate its importance for prediction of chromosomal disorders.
Adam12 also shows potential to provide an early indicator of IUGR and pre-eclampsia, for which there are no current screening mechanisms.
Early studies at the University of Copenhagen, SSI and Harold Wood have shown that Adam12 levels were reduced at 10-14 weeks in pregnancies that developed pre-eclampsia and were greatly reduced in those exhibiting both pre-eclampsia and low birth weight.
"Pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading global cause of maternal and infant illness and death," said Sundell.
"An early marker for this condition will provide the opportunity to investigate potential treatments at the early stage of the disease process and better manage the high-risk pregnancy.".
• Perkin Elmer LAS (UK): contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Laboratorytalk email newsletter
• Laboratorytalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
