Trillium Diagnostics negotiated a license to use German firm Leukocare’s circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) biomarker for the development of a commercial IVD assay kit for diagnosing sepsis. Under terms of the deal Trillium has an exclusive, royalty-bearing license to the Leukocare technology for measuring neutrophil-derived DNA, which the firms say is a predictive biomarker in severely ill patients with acute or chronic inflammatory disorders. Trillium expects to deliver an approved, commercial assay within two years.

“A prognostic assay for sepsis will represent a tremendous improvement in intensive care medicine,” comments Bruce Davis, M.D., CEO and president of Trillium Diagnostics. “cf-DNA is an important addition to our patented infection/sepsis diagnostic assays for neutrophil CD64 expression (Leuko64 assay and soluble CD163 (Macro163 assay). We hope these three assays used in parallel will provide unparalleled sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis.”

Leukocare’s primary business is in the field of protein stabilization technologies for application in biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, functionalized medical devices, and diagnostics. The firm’s flagship Stabilizing and Protecting Solutions (SPS) technology physically stabilizes spotted proteins, prevents aggregation, and improves specificity of antibody/antigen recognition. The firm is exploiting the platform for a range of applications, including diagnostics, through industry partnerships. 

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