Skolkovo resident DRD Biotech has unveiled its testing kits for swiftly determining the risk of a stroke.
DRD Biotech presented its testing kits in the company's hometown of Ulan-Ude, capital of Russia's Buryatia republic .
The tests are designed to diagnose ischemic strokes and to identify the risk of a patient having one. Ischemic strokes are caused by an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain, as opposed to hemorrhagic strokes that occur when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and spills blood into brain tissue. Ischemic strokes account for 87 percent of all stroke cases, according to the American Stroke Association.
“The express tests use biomarkers of damage to the brain: peptides and antibodies to the NMDA and AMPA receptors,” said Anzhei Zhimbiev, head of DRD Biotech. “Extensive clinical research has shown that these biomarkers are sensitive to ischemic and traumatic damage to the brain.”
Anzhei Zhimbiev, head of DRD Biotech. Photo: Anzhei Zhimbiev.
The company’s tests can also be used to determine the severity of a concussion. One kit can be used to carry out up to 48 tests, according to Zhimbiev, and the results are available within five minutes.
“Now we have to undergo technical and clinical trials, and only after that will the test be available for medical use,” said Zhimbiev. “For now, it is only available for scientific research purposes.”
The clinical trials will take place in Russia, China and Cuba, he added.
Zhimbiev last month visited Cuba as part of a delegation from the Skolkovo Foundation, and signed an agreement with the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Havana on conducting clinical trials and conducting joint research.
DRD Biotech, a resident of the Skolkovo Foundation’s biomed cluster, was awarded second prize at the Pioneers Moscow startup competition at the weekend.
The company intends its tests for use by emergency providers, sports clubs and schools, trauma centres, and military and civilian hospitals, as well as by insurance companies and expert committees responsible for deciding when people should return to work following a brain injury.