KANNAPOLIS, N.C., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- A study in the August 2007 issue of Pediatric Diabetes supports the use of the GlycoMark 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) blood test to evaluate therapy in children with diabetes, especially to target postprandial hyperglycemia (elevated after-meal glucose levels). Controlling after-meal glucose levels is important in achieving optimal glycemic control and reducing the burden of cardiovascular complications, the leading cause of death in patients. The data in this study were similar to previous studies in adults.
The study was completed by Rubina Heptulla, MD, from the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. “These data further demonstrate that the 1,5-AG test is an effective measure of postprandial glucose concentrations and is particularly important in evaluating therapies which have shown efficacy in controlling postprandial hyperglycemia such as exenatide, pramlintide, and sitagliptin,” said Dr. Heptulla. “We were also able to demonstrate that the normal range of 1,5-AG in children was similar to normal adults reported in previous studies.”
The results of this study are consistent with previous studies reported in adults. In a recent study published in the American Diabetes Association Diabetes Care journal (Dungan et al. Diabetes Care 2006; 29 (6): 1214-1219), it was shown that the GlycoMark 1,5-AG test reflected after-meal glucose levels more robustly than the A1C test. The study also showed that GlycoMark was able to reveal dramatically different after-meal glucose levels in patients with similar A1C levels.
Moreover, studies recently presented at the 67th Annual 2007 Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association and other meetings show that GlycoMark is particularly valuable in detecting underlying treatment effects of agents such as exenatide (Byetta) and pramlintide (Symlin) which were not revealed by the gold standard hemoglobin A1C test. These findings have important implications for patient care and pharmaceutical research as the reduction of after-meal glucose rises is a key objective of diabetes drug therapy.
About GlycoMark
GlycoMark is an FDA approved test for monitoring intermediate glycemic control by measuring the levels of a monosaccharide 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) in blood. Multiple published studies in peer-reviewed journals have shown that the 1,5-AG test is a specific index of postprandial hyperglycemia (elevated after-meal glucose levels) and short-term glycemic control -- providing a useful complement to A1C testing. GlycoMark is being used in clinical practices nationwide and is available at major reference laboratories including Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, Esoterix, Mayo Medical Laboratories, ARUP Laboratories, and Specialty Laboratories. The test is also available at most major contract research organizations for pharmaceutical research studies.
GlycoMark is being commercialized by a partnership between Toyota Tsusho America (New York, NY), Nippon Kayaku (Tokyo, Japan) and the BioMarker Group (Kannapolis, NC). GlycoMark activities are centered in the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, North Carolina, a 350-acre life sciences hub started by billionaire David H. Murdock.
More information about GlycoMark may be found at www.glycomark.com.
GlycoMark
CONTACT: Eric Button of BioMarker Group for GlycoMark, +1-704-707-3759,ebutton@biomarkergroup.com
Web site: http://www.glycomark.com/
