Roche Diagnostics And Southern Medical Diagnostics Announce Agreements On Diagnostic Applications Of Surfactant Protein-B

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 03 Dec 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Roche Diagnostics and Australian Biotech company SMD, Southern Medical Diagnostics, today announced the signing of license agreements which provide Roche Diagnostics with semi-exclusive world-wide rights for diagnostic applications of Surfactant Protein-B in lung disorders and SMD with world-wide rights to key test components developed by Roche which SMD may exclusively apply for Surfactant Protein-B applications.

Surfactant Protein-B (SP-B) is a lung-specific protein and a key functional component of the alveolus. SP-B is released into the blood stream as a result of lung injury. SP-B is detectable in human serum of healthy subjects at very low concentrations but is significantly increased in primary and secondary lung disorders affecting primarily the lung parenchyma, including the alveolocapillary system, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and heart failure. Increasing or decreasing levels of SP-B in the blood indicate changes of the lung disorder. SP-B is also helpful in conjunction with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP or NT-proBNP) tests to discriminate between cardiac and non-cardiac causes of dyspnoea.

"I am delighted to see Surfactant Protein-B move from a pulmonary biomarker to a clinical test thus providing the first biochemical tool for the diagnosis of lung injury in a variety of pulmonary diseases" said Professor Andrew D. Bersten, department of Critical Care Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre and School of Medicine at the Flinders University.

"Roche Diagnostics believes that tests for Surfactant Protein-B will be very valuable in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and monitoring of patients with primary and secondary pulmonary disorders" said Dirk Ehlers, Head of Roche Professional Diagnostics. "Roche Diagnostics is proud to have collaborated with SMD to develop the first biochemical test for lung disorders which will complement our broad menu of diagnostic tests in cardiovascular diseases. The SP-B assay will allow earlier recognition of cardio-pulmonary conditions and thereby prepare the basis for improved treatment in the future".

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and diseases of the central nervous system. In 2007 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 9.3 billion francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2007. Worldwide, the Group employs about 79,000 people. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.roche.com.

About SMD Southern Medical Diagnostics Pty Ltd is a private Australian company specialising in the development and out-licensing of novel diagnostic technologies. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.smdiagnostics.com.au.

Southern Medical Diagnostics Pty Ltd