Q BioMed and Mannin Research to develop GDF15 biomarker glaucoma diagnostic kit with McMaster University

Q BioMed Inc (OTCMKTS:QBIO) said Tuesday that its technology partner Mannin Research Inc has entered into a research collaboration with the Biointerfaces Institute at McMaster University, in Ontario, to develop a GDF15 biomarker diagnostic kit for monitoring glaucoma severity and progression.

Glaucoma is an eye condition that damages the optic nerve which is vital for vision. This damage is often caused by abnormally high pressure in the eye.

Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness in the world, affecting 60 million people. The disease often begins silently, with peripheral vision loss that occurs so gradually that it can go unnoticed. Over time, central vision becomes affected, which can mean substantial damage already has occurred before any aggressive therapy begins.

READ: Q BioMed licenses novel biomarker for monitoring glaucoma severity from Washington University

Q BioMed recently announced it has exclusively licensed GDF15, a novel diagnostic biomarker for monitoring glaucoma severity and progression from Washington University, in St Louis, Missouri. The biomarker will help physicians to make better treatment decisions, said the company.

“This diagnostic kit can be used both as a stand-alone in any ophthalmologist’s office as well as being used as a companion diagnostic with our promising MAN-01 glaucoma therapeutic candidate,” said Q BioMed CEO Denis Corin in a statement.

While conducting experiments on mouse models, Dr Rajendra Apte, the Paul A Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, at Washington University and his colleagues identified a molecule in the eye called growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), noting that the levels of the molecule increased as the animals aged and developed optic nerve damage.

Q BioMed and its technology partner Mannin Research Inc are currently developing MAN-01, a small molecule therapeutic with a novel mechanism of action, to treat primary open-angle glaucoma, a subset of glaucoma, which is the most common cause of irreversible blindness.  

Developing the GDF15 diagnostic kit

The company said that by offering both a diagnostic and a therapeutic, Q BioMed is addressing the needs of both “patients and physicians, as well as bringing innovation” to the glaucoma market.

“Currently, no single examination or diagnostic test is able to accurately predict disease progression and we believe GDF15 can help preserve visual function in glaucoma patients through accurate monitoring of disease progression. We are very pleased to team up with Mannin Research and McMaster University to advance this technology,” said Corin.

Today, physicians only have surrogate measures to evaluate glaucomatous neurodegeneration. Therefore, GDF15 represents an attractive biomarker for glaucoma with distinct advantages, including early detection, over conventional clinical tests and has the potential to be “a first-in-class diagnostic test,” said the company.

Mannin Research is working with Dr John D Brennan, who is the director of Canada’s renowned Biointerfaces Institute at McMaster University, in Ontario, to develop the GDF15 diagnostic kit. The Biointerfaces Institute will work with Mannin Research to create, assess, and apply DNA aptamers, or peptide molecules that bind to a specific target molecules for detecting GDF15 in patients with different severities of glaucoma. The intent is to create prototype assays for the detection of GDF15, which will be suitable for point-of-care testing. The prototype kits are to be validated in a clinical setting.

“Dr Brennan and his team at the Biointerfaces Institute are revolutionizing the development of next-generation point-of-care diagnostic tests by integrating the most advanced analytical chemistry, materials science, and biochemistry,” Mannin Research CEO Dr George Nikopoulos said in a statement.

Contact Uttara Choudhury at [email protected]

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive 

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