GERMANY – Bruker has launched a research-use-only nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy test for the assessment of risk and multi-organ damage using blood samples from long COVID patients.

The test, PhenoRiskPacs RuO, uses a multiplexed combination of biomarkers discovered at the Australian National Phenome Center at Murdoch University.

It consists of a spectroscopy system that tests several biological mechanisms of action simultaneously in a 20-minute test of blood from SARS-CoV-2 acute infection survivors who suffer long-term sequelae, known as long COVID syndrome, Bruker said.

According to the company, the test shows promise for research on early-stage risk factors, longitudinal recovery monitoring, and potential secondary organ damage in cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, kidney dysfunction, and inflammation.

The test includes an Avance IVDr NMR spectroscopy system that can evaluate many biological mechanisms of action simultaneously in a blood test collected from Long Covid patients.

The research-use-only test enables risk screening for Post-acute Covid syndrome (PACS), which is commonly known as Long Covid syndrome.

It also enables quantitative multiplexed testing for the early detection of clinically well-characterized risk markers.

Furthermore, it characterizes SARS-CoV-2 pathobiology’s metabolic and proteomic biomarkers, even in cases of asymptomatic acute Covid.

This enables the evaluation of multi-organ risk, recovery and therapeutic research in several dysfunctions related to Long Covid.

Recent publications have demonstrated that NMR is playing a pivotal role in measuring COVID-19 progression based on phenomic molecular signatures, and it is also providing new insights into various PACS mechanisms of action, as well as into Long COVID clinical management and treatment options.

The test includes an Avance IVDr NMR spectroscopy system that can evaluate many biological mechanisms of action simultaneously in a blood test collected from Long Covid patients.

By studying Covid-triggered pheno-conversion, the PhenoRisk PACS RuO test can differentiate PACS patients from healthy or completely recovered individuals.

Additionally, the test can measure composite signals for glycoproteins and phospholipids’ groups, which help to indicate inflammation and cardiovascular disease risks, as well as a new NMR biomarker known as Supramolecular Phospholipid Composite (SPC).

Bruker BioSpin applied, industrial and clinical division president Dr Iris Mangelschots said: “We are very excited to provide this multi-organ PACS risk screen to the clinical and pharmaceutical research community, after the preliminary validation by our partners in the International Covid-19 Research Network.

“We believe that PhenoRisk PACS RuO could make a significant contribution in research to combat the effects of Long Covid.”

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