Patented Method for Diagnosing Stroke

A patented rapid point-of-care diagnostic test for stroke based on proteins levels is designed for use in the emergency department.

The patent covers a diagnostic method of analyzing levels of proteins released from the brain during a stroke, as detected in a sample of a patient's blood or cerebral spinal fluid. The proteins include myelin basic protein, S100 protein, neuronal specific enolase, and a brain endothelial membrane protein such as thrombomodulin or a similar molecule. The data obtained from the analyses of these proteins provide information as to the type of stroke, the onset of occurrence, and the extent of brain damage. Currently, there is no rapid, accurate diagnostic for stroke, so hospitals are limited to clinical consultation by a neurologist, symptom evaluation, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, and imaging technology to confirm events.

The patent was issued to SynX (Toronto, Canada; www.synxpharma.com). "Critical information obtained by a rapid point-of-care diagnostic would help physicians identify the type of stroke so that they can prescribe the appropriate drugs or course of treatment as soon as possible,” commented Howard C. Birndorf, chairman and CEO of Nanogen, Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA), which recently acquired SynX.




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