Banyan Biomarkers Announces U.S. Patent For Neural Proteins As Biomarkers For Traumatic Brain Injury

Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry;  Blood / Hematology;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 08 Sep 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent No. 7,396,654 B2 "Neural Proteins as Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury," licensed exclusively by Banyan Biomarkers from the University of Florida. Specifically, the patent covers the detection of certain neuronal protein markers found in the blood of patients suffering from neural injury and / or neuronal damage. The patent also covers certain sensitive and rapid methods and test kits that can be used as tools for the diagnosis of neural injuries and/or neuronal disorders such as brain injury, neural damage due to drug or alcohol addiction and diseases associated with the brain and central nervous system.

Banyan Biomarkers also holds the exclusive license from the University of Florida for U.S. Patent No. 7,291,710 "Detection of spectrin and spectrin proteolytic cleavage products in assessing nerve cell damage."

Gary Ascani, Chief Executive Officer of Banyan Biomarkers, Inc., commented, "Banyan continues to effectively build its intellectual property portfolio and broaden our applications for biomarkers as critical tools for assisting physicians in diagnosing and managing patients with traumatic brain injuries and other acute central nervous system injuries such as stroke."

Approximately 1.9 million traumatic brain injuries are sustained annually. In a comparison provided by the Brain Injury Association of America, more traumatic brain injuries occur annually than the combined incidences of multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, HIV/AIDS and breast cancer.

Banyan Biomarkers is the leader in developing in vitro diagnostic products to address unmet clinical needs for the detection of traumatic brain injury. The company is focused on developing a simple point-of-care blood test that will be used by physicians to detect the presence and severity of brain trauma and facilitate the diagnosis and management of head injured patients. Banyan Biomarkers also uses the company's proprietary biomarkers to provide testing services for the pharmaceutical industry in the evaluation of drug candidates for pre-clinical and clinical studies.

Banyan Biomarkers