US disease control centers to use Israeli innovation

Micromedic develops test which diagnoses whether they have juvenile diabetes. 'By determining whether or not they have the disease, the simple test significantly reduces unnecessary suffering,' company says

Ynetnews|Published: 07.12.10 , 08:15

A research development by Micromedic, an Israeli company, was selected for inclusion in an international Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program. The kit includes a simple blood test given to children and teenagers in a laboratory setting, which diagnoses whether they have juvenile diabetes. The test is based on identification of biological indicators, and was developed by Micromedic, designed to identify diabetes type 1, CCL3-AAB. Using these biomarkers, it is possible to determine whether young patients carry the disease, and if so, to offer appropriate treatment.

The test is simple and has been available for over a year worldwide. The decision to include the test in the Diabetes Antibody Standardization Program was made by US Department of Health’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Forty-eight leading laboratories from 19 countries, including the US, Europe, and Israel, are participating in the US Department of Health’s comprehensive research program.

In the current study, five of the world’s leading laboratories (in the US, Germany, England and Italy) will include Micromedic’s diagnostic kit for juvenile diabetes in their tests. The initial results of the program are expected to be published at the end of this year at the International Congress of the Immunology of Diabetes.

Micromedic of Israel said it was "extremely proud" of its development, which is "a genuine step forward in the field of juvenile diabetes, where no dramatic diagnostic developments have been achieved in the last 15 years."

The test itself, according to the company, makes life easier for children and teenagers in high-risk groups. "By determining whether or not they have the disease, the simple test significantly reduces unnecessary suffering," the company said.

Micromedic is currently working on a development based on biomarkers and blood tests for early diagnosis of the risk to develop the disease. Such a development could facilitate preventive action.

The decision to include Micromedic’s diagnostic kit in the international Standardization Program "attests to the kit’s novelty and its effectiveness in to identifying diabetes type 1. Inclusion should promote recognition of the Israeli biomarker biomarker’s potential to identify diabetes," the company said.

Micromedic CEO David Solomon said, “Our participation in the DOH’s program is a source of genuine pride for Israel. It is important evidence of the innovativeness of our kit, which will be tested together with other diagnostic kits that have been in existence for decades. Furthermore, the real significance of participation in the program is the unprecedented scientific recognition, which places the Israeli firm of Micromedic on the map as a significant internal player in the field of diabetes diagnostics.

"We expect hundreds of tests to be performed in each of the laboratories where the test will be used, and the results, sponsored by the DOH, will ultimately be based on many hundreds of tests, creating a broad clinical foundation,” he said.