Licensing Opportunities
Predictive Biomarker for Pediatric
Liver Disease
→ Obesity in children is a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
→ Early detection of liver disease enables adequate patient management
→ Plasma Cathepsin D levels strongly correlate with progression of liver disease and has predictive value
Patent pending (PCT/EP2015/073683)
Summary
Liver biopsies from children (n=96) with nonalcoholic fatty
liver disease (NAFLD) in various stages were correlated to
plasma Cathepsin D (CatD) levels. Maastricht University found
that plasma CathD gradually and consistently decreases with
Increasing severity of liver disease. CatD plasma levels showed
a high diagnostic accuracy for the differentiation between
steatosis and hepatic inflammation.
18) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) showed that only
CathD concentrations significantly decrease with disease
progression (NAS score) and correlates with the individual
stages of NAFLD disease characteristics being ballooning,
steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis. CathD showed a
remarkably high diagnostic accuracy with a sensitivity and
specificity of 100 % and 89% respectively (Walembergh et al
2015). In conclusion, plasma CatD has a high diagnostic value
to distinguish liver steatosis to hepatic inflammation.
Scientific Background
Business opportunity
The current Obesity epidemic in children is paralleled by an
increasing prevalence of NAFLD, a condition characterized by
early hepatic steatosis and by a more severe form known as
non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Key histological changes of NASH are steatosis, Inflammation,
hepatocellular ballooning and eventually fibrosis, which in
turn may progress to end stage liver disease even in young
individuals. Liver disease may develop unnoticed unless
determined by liver biopsy. Hence there is a critical need for
specific non-invasive analysis based on predictive biomarkers
for hepatic inflammation in an early stage.
The prevalence of NAFLD in countries worldwide varies
between 6-35 % (median 20%) and ultimately a liver
transplantation is needed in one out of ten patients. Early
diagnosis of NAFLD and in particular early in live will contribute
to disease management.
Predictive non-evasive early stage analysis is therefore very
relevant to enable early as possible intervention to prevent
development to end-stage liver disease. Considering the
increasing fraction of obese individuals and the risk of
developing liver disease, early predictive analysis represents
a large market and a significant business opportunity in
particular as part of multi-parameter analysis products for
(risk of) liver disease or as companion diagnostic alongside
pharmacologic intervention in (pediatric) liver disease.
Invention disclosure
Analysis of plasma in 96 children (mean age 8.9 year)
with confirmed Liver Steatosis, Borderline NASH and
fully developed NASH for CathD, cytokeratin-18 (CK-
Exclusive Commercial rights are available for licensing
and provide the opportunity to specifically market (multiparameter) analysis to identify early stage liver disease in
children.
> read more
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Predictive Biomarker for Pediatric
Liver Disease
Contact
Yvo Graus, PhD, MBA
Senior Business Development Officer
Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus
Oxfordlaan 70
6229 EV Maastricht
The Netherlands
+31(0)6 4876 5408
[email protected]
www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/valorisation
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