Tag Archives: diagnosis

New AI-powered predictive algorithm offers unprecedented accuracy in diagnosing NASH and liver fibrosis staging

BOSTON, MA, United States, 18-Jul-2022 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — Metadeq Inc., a global NASH and metabolic diseases diagnostics company, today announced a breakthrough non-invasive blood test that utilizes two novel circulating proteins to accurately diagnose Non-alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis, and can score the stages of both diseases, without the need for invasive liver biopsy. The study which details the new blood test – just revealed in Gut, a leading hepatology and gastroenterology journal published by BMJ – was led by King’s College London Professor Geltrude Mingrone, in collaboration with Metadeq.

Approximately one in four people worldwide, or approximately two billion people, have Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and therefore are at risk of developing NASH. NASH is the most severe form of NAFLD, a silent disease associated with fatty deposit build-up of the liver. NASH leads to advanced liver diseases such as liver fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis, and liver cancer, and may ultimately result in death. The annual cost to the US healthcare system alone has been estimated to be over $100 billion per year.

Currently, the only way to diagnose NASH is through the standard of diagnosis, invasive liver biopsy, which is expensive and is associated with significant complications and discomfort. Until now, no reliable blood test has been developed for NASH, nor liver fibrosis. Most importantly, no available test can define the severity (stage), or monitor the progression, of either NASH or liver fibrosis.

Professor Geltrude Mingrone from the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences at King’s College London, who is one of the most widely cited and influential researchers globally for metabolic diseases and disorders, set out to discover a more accurate liquid biopsy test in support of patient care and in collaboration with Metadeq. The resulting study was published today in leading journal, Gut.

This study identified two novel protein biomarkers, PLIN2 and RAB14, to assist in the diagnosis of patients with NASH and/or liver fibrosis. The ability of these proteins to detect both diseases was tested in cohorts with either NASH and/or liver fibrosis that were confirmed with liver biopsy, the current standard of diagnosis.

“This blood test will allow researchers and clinicians to define the prevalence of NASH across populations, including children and adolescents, avoiding the need for invasive liver biopsy,” said Professor Mingrone. “Critically, it will allow care-givers to monitor the efficacy of NASH treatments over time, reducing screen failures and helping generate better drugs.”

“Since HEPAR-QTM is the only diagnostic modality that can diagnose NASH and fibrosis staging we expect it to be instrumental in the development of new therapeutics for the management of patients,” said Frank Jaksch, Chairman of Metadeq. “We believe that HEPAR-QTM will advance for the benefit of patients the problem of regular screening, that has resulted in late drug failures during clinical trials, since it is now possible to accurately measure the severity of disease in a non-invasive manner.”

 

The Metadeq predictive algorithm, which uses A.I., provided unprecedented sensitivity (88-95%), specificity (90-100%), and overall accuracy (92-93%) for NASH, and also has near-perfect sensitivity (99%-100%), specificity (90%-96%), and accuracy (98%-99%) for liver fibrosis.

The test results show that the proteins can provide rapid and cost-effective testing to combat the growing epidemic of NASH and liver fibrosis. This could be an invaluable tool in diagnosing and monitoring cases of liver diseases, allowing people to receive earlier treatment, from lifestyle adjustments to surgical and pharmacological interventions.

Currently no NASH drug has been approved by either the FDA or EMA, which may be a direct result of the lack of an accurate, reliable, and non-invasive test. More than 65% of patients who enroll in clinical trials for NASH-related therapies are found to be ineligible for the trial due to screen failure, which causes major monetary losses to companies developing and testing NASH drugs. The improved accuracy and ability to detect NASH staging will help in identifying and enrolling the appropriate people in clinical trials, speeding up the development of NASH drugs.

About Metadeq
Metadeq Corp. is a diagnostics company that provides innovative liquid biopsy solutions for liver and metabolic diseases. For the first time, Metadeq allows people to measure the whole spectrum of liver diseases – from NAFLD, to NASH, and liver fibrosis – with a blood test. www.metadeq.com

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) can now more reliably detect early stages of inflammation

GERMANY, Mar-30-2017 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the most common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Globally, more than 4 million people suffer from recurring inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. To date, non-invasive methods have not been able to detect these forms of IBD reliably. Researchers at the University Hospital Erlangen (Germany) have now shown for the first time how Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) can more reliably detect early stages of inflammation when compared with other non-invasive diagnostic methods. These results have recently been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Evaluating the inflammatory activity of the intestines early and accurately helps to prevent complications associated with IBD and guide an optimal therapy regime. Currently, doctors frequently rely on an invasive endoscopy procedure to assess the intestinal mucosa of patients with IBD. Additionally, non-invasive imaging methods are increasingly used in the clinic. For example, ultrasound allows clinicians to examine the structure, thickness and blood perfusion of the intestinal wall with changes in perfusion patterns indicating an onset of inflammation.

“With the MSOT procedure, we additionally use laser light, by which we can detect inflammation earlier than previously possible with ultrasound”, explains Prof. Dr. Maximilian Waldner, Professor at the University Hospital Erlangen. “The earlier we detect signs of an upcoming flare – i.e., a change in blood content – the quicker we can react and start a preventive treatment”. The MSOT technology was developed by iThera Medical in Munich, and was first used on IBD patients last year.

The researchers of the University Hospital Erlangen have recently published their results in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine. “We examined 108 patients with Crohn’s disease using the MSOT technology and compared the results to established non-invasive diagnostic procedures as well as endoscopy and histology”, says Prof. Waldner. “We were able to demonstrate that hemoglobin values in the tissue measured with MSOT indicate very accurately the inflammatory activity in the intestines. The method appears to be superior to other non-invasive procedures, as MSOT for the first time was able to detect even low levels of inflammation without having to perform endoscopy”.

Dr. Ferdinand Knieling, a physician at the University Hospital Erlangen, adds: “We are hoping that this principle can be applied to many applications and, in particular, also be used to enable safe evaluations of children and adolescents. With this new examination method, many of the currently invasive procedures might become obsolete.”

In optoacoustic imaging, the physician scans the intestines transabdominally through the skin, applying pulsed laser light in the near-infrared region. The energy of the light absorbed in tissue is converted into acoustic signals which are then acquired by an ultrasound detector. Christian Wiest, CEO of iThera Medical, comments: “MSOT is a new diagnostic imaging modality that can detect changes in tissue composition associated with a variety of diseases, without the use of contrast agents. The technology has already been applied in other clinical feasibility studies, e.g. for the detection of melanoma metastasis in sentinel lymph nodes or for the assessment of suspicious breast lesions”.

The results of the IBD study at the University Hospital Erlangen were published on March 30th 2017 in the New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 376, Issue 13, pg.1292-1294).

SOURCE: EuropaWire

No Shots! No Medication! Long Beach, California Allergy Sufferers Relieved With New Laser Technology

AllergiCare™ Relief Centers of Long Beach www.AllergiCare.com/clinics/longbeach opened last week and patients have already seen tremendous success with the clinic’s new state-of-the-art laser technology.

The new technique, called “immune conditioning”, that is offered by the clinics is unique in that there are no scratch tests, allergy shots or medication involved. Instead, computer technology and laser therapy are used to eliminate negative reactions to what would ordinarily be a harmless substance.

“What makes our method of diagnosis and treatment different from other available treatments for allergy symptoms, such as allergy shots and medication,” says Long Beach clinic director Chris Turner, DC, “is that this technique enables us to better identify the specific allergen or sensitivity from our database of over 10,000 different substances. Through this identification, which is enabled by our unique computer system, we can relieve the patient’s sensitivities much more precisely, which in turn provides us with greater results”.

AllergiCare™ Relief Centers’ system assists the practitioner in the diagnosis and relief of allergy symptoms in a non-invasive, drug-free environment. This system has been shown effective with all types of allergies, including seasonal symptoms related to hay fever, pollen, grasses and trees; environmental substances such as pollutants, chemicals, dust and dust mites; food allergens such as fruit, dairy, and nuts; and pet allergens among others. AllergiCare™ Relief Centers addresses the problem at its source rather than just treating the symptoms.

“An allergy is simply an inappropriate response developed by your body as a result of some negative interaction with a certain substance” Dr. Turner explains. “This programmed response triggers a reaction within your body. These reactions may include sneezing, runny nose, itching, watery eyes, headaches and difficulty breathing. Other symptomatic diagnoses such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, asthma, autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome, psoriasis, acid reflux, fibromyalgia, and autism have also been very closely linked to underlying allergic reactions to various substances. Once a sensitivity to a particular substance is identified, our system works to neutralize that negative response so that future exposure to that substance no longer triggers these irritating reactions.”

Many patients notice significant results after receiving just a single treatment. As each treatment addresses only one substance category, allergies to multiple substances may require multiple treatments. The cost per treatment is very affordable when compared to other methods.


AllergiCare™ Relief Centers of Long Beach
www.AllergiCare.com/clinics/longbeach is located in Long Beach, California at 3530 Atlantic Ave., Suite 101. For more information, to make an appointment, or for a list of other AllergiCare™ Relief Centers locations, call 562-595-5949 or visit www.allergicare.com/clinics/longbeach

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Disclaimer
Due to the unpredictable nature of allergies, sensitivities and the immune system, AllergiCare™ Relief Centers cannot guarantee any results, as is the case with all forms of healthcare. AllergiCare™ Relief Centers also cannot guarantee that new allergies or sensitivities will not develop in the future. While AllergiCare™ Relief Centers can treat most forms of allergies and sensitivities, some case do not respond to the treatment. AllergiCare™ Relief Centers does not treat cases of anaphylaxis.

Via EPR Network
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