Glycated Albumin Presented as a Novel Biomarker for Diabetes Monitoring
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The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) presented a webinar on February 24th, 2011, titled "Novel Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes," in which glycated albumin (GA) was described as a promising biomarker for patients who are underserved by usual diabetes monitoring methods. Glycated albumin is the cornerstone of Epinex's flagship product - the G1A™ Rapid Diabetes Monitoring Index Test.
The presenters described limitations inherent in glycated hemoglobin (A1c) testing and acknowledged that there is a "window of need" for shorter-term glycation markers such as GA. While the need for larger scale clinical trials was emphasized, there was general consensus among the presenters that GA could be a valuable tool for diabetes monitoring.
Recent reports suggest that over half the nation will have diabetes or prediabetes by 2020. Due to this rapidly escalating epidemic, the webinar emphasized the clear need to change the approach to dealing with diabetes. In her presentation on novel biomarkers, Dr. Allison Goldfine, Head of Clinical Research at Joslin Diabetes Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard University, issued a "diabetes imperative" to identify new treatment and prevention strategies.
Epinex Diagnostics, an innovative medical device company, is already working to answer this imperative by developing a new, rapid GA test that bridges the gap between existing monitoring methods. Such a test may help prevent the social and economic devastation of the growing diabetes problem.
The webinar was conducted by several key opinion leaders in diabetes research and practice. Dr. Goldfine was joined by Dr. David Sacks, Senior Investigator and Chief of Clinical Chemistry Services at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and Dr. William Winter, Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, FL.
The AACC is an international scientific/medical society of clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists and other individuals involved with clinical chemistry. They are best known for the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Chemistry, and for hosting the world's largest laboratory conference.
