Researchers at CIMA of the University of Navarra discover a possible cause of thrombosis.
agreement between Digna Biotech and Ferrer Internacional to develop the patent of a new diagnostic test for this pathology.
A team of researchers at CIMA of the University of Navarra has discovered a possible cause of thrombosis and has devised a new diagnostic test for this disease. The scientific work has been carried out at the laboratory of Hemostasis and Thrombosis, directed by Dr. José Hermida and Dr. Ramón Montes. Based on this advance, Digna Biotech, business biotechnology company that develops the patents for CIMA, has signed an agreement agreement with the pharmaceutical company Ferrer Internacional. This alliance will allow the commercialization, perhaps this year, of the new diagnostic test .
Thrombosis is a disease caused by the appearance of a thrombus or blood clot that totally or partially blocks blood flow. This pathology is one of the main causes of death. Researchers at the area of Cardiovascular Sciences of CIMA base the new diagnostic test on the determination of antibodies against the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), a substance that protects blood vessels from obstruction by a thrombus.
For the time being, this diagnostic test may be useful for the follow-up of young women who have suffered a myocardial infarction or who have repeated miscarriages due to placental thrombosis. Work continues on other pathologies where the biological basis of the disease is thrombosis, such as cerebral infarction (stroke) and pulmonary embolism. In the future, the new test could be used to design more effective antithrombotic treatments.
The scientists explain that the protein C system is one of the main mechanisms for preventing thrombosis in humans and that the presence of the endothelial protein C receptor (EPRC) is necessary for its proper functioning. Researchers at CIMA of the University of Navarra have demonstrated the existence of anti-EPCR autoantibodies that hinder the antithrombotic function of this system. They have also found that elevated levels of anti-EPCR antibodies in the serum and plasma of patients were associated with an increased risk of new thrombotic phenomena.