Quanterix To Participate In Second Annual Brain Trust: Pathways To Innovation

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quanterix Corporation, a company digitizing biomarker analysis to advance the science of precision health, today announced that Kevin Hrusovsky, CEO and Executive Chairman at Quanterix, is among the distinguished healthcare leaders and brain health advocates invited to speak at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ second-annual Brain Trust: Pathways to Innovation, taking place May 17-18, 2017 in Boston, MA. At the annual gathering, which aims to develop critical brain health solutions to better serve veterans and their families, Hrusovsky will discuss opportunities for collaborative research in the biomarker space as part of the Collaborative Research breakout session taking place on May 17, 2017 from 2-3:10 p.m., EDT and again from 3:30-4:40 p.m., EDT.

Approximately one-third of military personnel who deploy for combat operations sustain one or more TBIs, thereby increasing their risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), PTSD and depression. According to the Defense and Veterans Brian Injury Center (DVBIC), the arm of the Department of Defense responsible for tracking TBI data in the United States military, more than 360,000 service members have been diagnosed with TBIs since 2000, demonstrating the prevalence of the condition among service members.

Quanterix aims to address the need for better detection and treatment with its ultra-sensitive digital health solution, Simoa, capable of identifying proteins in the blood indicative of mild-to-severe traumatic brain injury earlier than ever before possible. Most often, such proteins, which include tau, neurofilament light (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), present in minute quantities, making detection with traditional ELISA technologies difficult. By operating at a sensitive 1000x greater than legacy tools, Simoa is enabling unprecedented and groundbreaking new neurological research.

“There’s still much to learn about TBIs, which is why events like this that bring innovators and advocates together, are so important. Today, there is more research than ever supporting the linkage between brain injuries, from mild TBIs or concussions to sever head trauma, and long-term neurological and psychological impairments. It’s critical that we come together to better understand, detect and treat these injuries,” said Hrusovsky. “There is strong evidence blood-based digital biomarkers tested using our technology can reveal whether a soldier or an athlete has suffered from a concussion and the severity of the injury. What’s more, new research from leading institutions suggests these same biomarkers could someday be used to determine when these individuals can safely return to their occupations.”

Most recently, a team of researchers led by Dr. Henrik Zetterberg at the University of Gothenburg used Quanterix’ technology to evaluate the efficacy of NFL in serum as a sensitive biomarker for concussions in contact sports. The findings, which published last month in Neurology, demonstrated the potential to use serum NFL as an objective means for identifying mild TBIs. Prior to this, Dr. Jessica Gill at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) utilized the technology to show that tau protein levels can be used as a key indicator to inform return-to-play decisions for concussed athletes (Neurology). In addition to its use in the lab, Simoa’s life-saving potential has been recognized by GE and the NFL as part of their joint Head Health Challenge. Quanterix was named a two-time winner (2015 and 2014) as a result of its technology, which was selected for its promising ability to improve the safety of athletes, military members and society overall.

During the Collaborative Research panel, Hrusovsky will discuss the important role of protein biomarkers in early detection and treatment and how, through collaborative efforts worldwide, Simoa is helping to advance TBI research. He will be joined by members of the VA Boston Health Care System, PINK Concussions and real-life veterans. In addition, this high-profile event will feature remarks from former President George W. Bush, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, and representatives from IBM, Brown University, Boston University and the U.S. Department of Defense, among others.

For more information about Quanterix and Brain Trust: Pathways to Innovation, visit: http://www.quanterix.com/resources/conferences/va-brain-trust.

About Quanterix
Quanterix is a company that’s digitizing biomarker analysis to advance the science of precision health. The company’s digital health solution, Simoa, is changing the way in which healthcare is provided today by giving researchers the ability to closely examine the continuum from health to disease. In doing so, Quanterix enables much earlier disease detection, better prognoses and enhanced treatment methods to improve the quality of life and longevity of the population for generations to come. The technology is currently being used for applications in a majority of therapeutic areas, including oncology, neurology, cardiology, inflammation and infectious disease. The company was established in 2007 and is located in Lexington, Massachusetts.