EKF Diagnostics boosted by kidney disease study results

A clinical study part-funded by EKF Diagnostics has provided encouraging data about its soluble biomarker in predicting the progression of diabetic kidney disease, which could lead to recruitment of more suitable patients for further trials.

The study, which was co-authored by EKF Diagnostics, Pfizer, Eli Lilly and leading researchers from the Joslin Diabetes Center, presented new data on EKF's novel soluble Tumour Necrosis Factor Receptor 1 (sTNFR1) in support of the biomarker at the American Society for Nephrology's (ASN) 'Kidney Week' conference.

EKF said the data "clearly highlights" the role that sTNFR1 can play in identifying diabetic patients for inclusion in clinical trials of novel therapeutic interventions to prevent or delay progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

The current practice of clinical trial recruitment is typically limited to patients with high levels of urinary albumin excretion who may not in fact progress towards ESRD, but the study showed how the use of the novel biomarker sTNFR1 from EKF can help target patients who are most likely to exhibit progressive diabetic nephropathy during a clinical trial and therefore will benefit most from new treatments.

Chief executive Julian Baines said that as diabetic kidney disease is the leading cause of ESRD worldwide, early identification of those most at risk of progression remained a significant unmet need.

"This large and exciting new data set confirms our own findings both here at EKF and with other collaborators. Having such impressive data presented at ASN puts us in front of the world's leading kidney specialists and will pave the way to the adoption of sTNFR1 as a routine test in the management of diabetic nephropathy."

Analyst Mike Mitchell at Panmure Gordon said the news was "an interesting step forward" in terms of the development of EKF's position within kidney treatment, with the data supporting EKF's clinical trial cycle but also potentially creating opportunities for the potential development of a companion diagnostic product.

"The key for EKF comes in the opportunity, ultimately, to see the potential adoption of sTNFR1 as a routine test in the management of diabetic nephropathy," Mitchell said.

"In order to do this, it is important to identify and target patients most likely to exhibit the disease during a clinical trial," he added, viewing the new data as underpinning the mechanics of how clinical trials can more effectively be recruited.