Reactivity Test Aids Proper Antiplatelet Therapy

A new assay determines platelet reactivity in whole blood and monitors antiplatelet pharmacologic agents. A US patent has issued on the methodology.

The assay enables doctors to assess specific components of platelet activation, which helps them determine the risk associated with increased reactivity or decreased reactivity and thereby reduce the chance of clotting or excess bleeding in patients. In addition to therapeutic drug monitoring, the method can improve the prediction of coronary artery and cerebrovascular disease in patients without any previous disease history.
"The quantitative differentiation of patients at low as opposed to high risk for complications after procedures to treat heart disease is critical to providing proper antiplatelet agent therapy,” said Dr. Burton E. Sobel, chair of the department of medicine at the University of Vermont and one of the inventors of the method.

The assay is the product of Bio-Tek Instruments, Inc. (Winooski, VT, USA). The company is in discussions with several reagent and pharmaceutical partners to commercialize the method. Bio-Tek develops bioanalytical measurement systems and software.




Related Links:
Bio-Tek