Biological Dynamics Expands Biomarkers Research to Develop Assays for Detection and Quantification of Blood-based Biomarkers

Biological Dynamics, Inc., an innovative diagnostic company committed to improving global health, announces a new biomarkers program designed for drug development applications in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The company will use its proprietary Verita™ platform to develop a portfolio of assays for detection and quantification of blood-based biomarkers associated with AD and other neurodegenerative conditions. The program is funded by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's (ADDF) Diagnostics Accelerator, an initiative that aims to fast-track the development of novel biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. It is estimated that AD affects approximately 50 million people globally. In 2018, the official failure rate associated with developing AD-targeting therapeutics stood at 99%, with a 100% failure rate for disease-modifying therapies for AD. One of the critical unmet needs in drug development is the lack of tools to measure brain-derived biomarkers in blood. Recently, analysis of neural extracellular vesicles (EVs) has emerged as an area of interest due to their ability to traverse the blood-brain barrier. The protein and nucleic cargo that is transported by EVs has been shown to be reflective of underlying physiological and pathological states for many diseases, including AD. The new program will focus on developing Verita-based assays for detection of AD-associated biomarkers in plasma EVs and evaluating the feasibility of using these assays in drug development.