KISSIMMEE, Fla., Feb 16 /PRNewswire/ -- diaDexus, Inc. announced today that data presented as part of the annual American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference show that a novel biomarker is predictive for recurrent stroke in a multiethnic population that included both men and women. In the study presented today, Dr. Mitchell Elkind and colleagues at Columbia University followed a cohort of patients from the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) for an average of four years to identify the utility of novel, but easy to apply, biomarkers for patients who have already experienced an ischemic stroke. In that period, 80 recurrent strokes were recorded.
“These data provide us with important observations linking higher than normal levels of the enzyme Lp-PLA2 with the risk of recurrent stroke in a multi-ethnic population. Women, Hispanics and African-Americans, groups that are frequently overlooked in major studies, were also well-represented in our study,” said Mitchell S. V. Elkind, M.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology, Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Columbia University. “Previous studies have demonstrated that this biomarker can help determine risk for a first stroke, but this study shows that it may also predict a second stroke. Because women and minorities are at higher risk for stroke and yet are relatively medically underserved, these findings may have special importance.”
The researchers assessed Lp-PLA2 levels using the diaDexus PLAC(R) test, the first blood test approved by the FDA to aid in predicting ischemic stroke. The study followed 467 patients who had experienced an initial stroke; 55% were women, 53% Hispanic, 27% African American and 18% Caucasian. Patients were more than 40 years old. The study was conducted at the Neurological Institute, Division of Stroke and Critical Care, Columbia University. Data showed there was an increased risk of recurrent ischemic stroke in patients with high levels of the enzyme Lp-PLA2. Using a Cox proportional hazards model, the study demonstrated that increased levels of Lp-PLA2 were associated with risk for recurrent stroke after adjusting for demographics, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, atrial fibrillation, and coronary disease. Researchers also found that high levels of hs-CRP, a marker of general inflammation, did not predict stroke recurrence but was associated with stroke severity and predicted death.
Full Results from the study, entitled “Lp-PLA2 and CRP as Predictors of Stroke Recurrence and Death: The Northern Manhattan Study,” are being presented on February 16, 2006, at 4:00pm as part of the International Stroke Conference in Kissimmee, Fla.
As part of an ongoing effort to highlight the value of stroke risk assessment and prevention, diaDexus will be offering free stroke risk screening with the PLAC test during the ASA meeting, booth # 113. All members of the medical profession and registered media are welcome to participate in the free screening.
About diaDexus:
diaDexus, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, California, is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel, patent-protected diagnostic products with high clinical value. The PLAC(R) test, developed by diaDexus, Inc., is a blood test cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to aid in the prediction of an individual’s risk for coronary heart disease or ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis, in conjunction with clinical evaluation and patient risk assessment. For more information about the PLAC(R) test visit www.plactest.com. More information about the company may be found at www.diaDexus.com.
diaDexus, Inc.
CONTACT: Christina Andrian of diaDexus, Inc., +1-650-246-6476 orcandrian@diadexus.com; or Jennifer Larson of WeissComm Partners,+1-415-946-1074 or jlarson@weisscommpartners.com, for diaDexus, Inc.
Web site: http://www.diadexus.com/