VANCOUVER, B.C. & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Centre of Excellence for the Prevention of Organ Failure (PROOF Centre) and MRM Proteomics Inc. will use their biomarker expertise in collaboration with the Jain Foundation, Inc. to identify blood-based biomarkers of disease in individuals with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, called Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2B (LGMD2B) or Miyoshi Myopathy (MM). Since no effective treatment exists for LGMD2B/ MM, this study is an essential step towards developing therapies for patients living with these debilitating muscle diseases.
LGMD2B/MM are both caused by mutations in the gene that encodes the protein dysferlin, which is thought to play a role in skeletal muscle repair collectively called “dysferlinopathies”.
The Jain Foundation chose to collaborate with MRM Proteomics and the PROOF Centre because of their excellent track record of discovering molecular biomarkers in blood and developing them into tests that aid in the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases.
“The Jain Foundation was impressed by the success PROOF Centre has had in moving biomarker programs from concept to the clinic, particularly with their recent clinical progress in finding a biomarker for rejection of a transplanted heart. We believe that pairing MRM Proteomics’ cutting edge expertise in mass spectrometry with PROOF’s unique clinical biomarker expertise, offers the greatest chance of identifying a biomarker to move our clinical program forward.” said Plavi Mittal, President and CEO, Jain Foundation.
The study will compare blood samples from individuals with LGMD2B/MM with samples from healthy, age and gender-matched controls. Differences in proteins and nucleic acids in the blood that reflect differences in muscle function will be tested and validated as possible biomarkers. These biomarkers will then be used to help track disease progression and the efficacy of potential treatments in future clinical trials.
About the Proof Centre of Excellence
The Centre of Excellence for the Prevention of Organ Failure (PROOF Centre) develops blood tests to diagnose, treat and manage heart, lung and kidney disease. The PROOF Centre is a cross-disciplinary engine of partners representing academia, health care, government, industry, patients and the public, to improve heart, lung and kidney health and reduce the enormous socioeconomic burden of organ disease. The centre’s service arm provides expertise in computation, “-omic” science and biomarker workflow to organizations seeking to discover, develop and implement blood-based molecular biomarkers in a clinical setting. The PROOF Centre is a not-for-profit society initially established from the Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat under the Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (NCE CECR) Program, and is co-hosted by the University of British Columbia and Providence Health Care in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. www.proofcentre.ca.
About MRM Proteomics
MRM Proteomics Inc. is a leader in providing advanced mass spectrometry based quantitative proteomics services and reagents to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics industries in key areas such as biomarker discovery/validation and clinical diagnostics development. www.mrmproteomics.com.
About Jain Foundation
The Jain Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to identify a cure or therapies for LGMD2B/MM. The foundation is privately funded and does not solicit funding from patients or other sources. The foundation’s activities include providing financial support to scientific researchers, identifying promising drug candidates, funding clinical trials and studies, educating patients and helping patients obtain genetic diagnoses. www.jain-foundation.org.
Contacts
PROOF Centre of Excellence
Jerrie Lynn Morrison, 604-682-2344 ext 63729
Communications Coordinator
jerrielynn.morrison@hli.ubc.ca
or
MRM Proteomics Inc.
Andrew Munk, 604-800-2296
Chief Executive Officer
munk@mrmproteomics.com
or
Jain Foundation
Sarah Shira, 425-882-1492
Office and Program Manager
admin@jain-foundation.org
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