University of Liverpool collaborates with BARD1 Life Sciences Ltd for the development of a diagnostic test for type 3C diabetes
University of Liverpool and BARD1 Life Sciences Ltd Collaborate on Groundbreaking Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer Test
The University of Liverpool and BARD1 Life Sciences Ltd have signed a two-year agreement to develop a blood test for type 3c diabetes (T3cDM). This collaboration aims to address a significant gap in early diagnosis and improve outcomes for patients with T3cDM and pancreatic cancer.
Professor Eithne Costello, Professor of Molecular Oncology and the lead researcher on the UK-Early Detection Initiative (UK-EDI), heads up the project at the University. The UK-EDI study will collect pre-diagnostic samples and data from individuals who will subsequently receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
The research by the University has shown that the combination of adiponectin and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) has high diagnostic potential for distinguishing T3cDM from T2DM. This approach could provide a significant improvement in outcomes for patients with both T3cDM and pancreatic cancer.
BARD1's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Peter French, suggests that an T3cDM test could potentially be used to screen all individuals diagnosed with new-onset diabetes, followed by annual screening for pancreatic cancer using BARD1's specific pancreatic cancer tests. Certain individuals with T3cDM are at increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, making an accurate and reliable T3cDM test crucial for future pancreatic cancer screening.
There are no current screening tests available for pancreatic cancer, but BARD1 is investigating two novel approaches for screening pancreatic cancer using its SubB2M and EXO-NET technologies. The company that signed the option agreement with the University of Liverpool for the development of a blood test for T3cDM is Saladax Biomedical, and the project is expected to begin in early 2024.
The agreement between the University and BARD1 involves evaluating two novel protein biomarkers that can accurately distinguish T3cDM from T2DM in individuals newly diagnosed with diabetes. The test uses patented technology developed by researchers at the University's Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology.
The negotiation of the option agreement has been managed by the University of Liverpool's IP Commercialisation Team. Researchers developing this technology have been supported by grants from Pancreatic Cancer Action (PCA), Pancreatic Cancer UK (PCUK), North West Cancer Research (NWCR), and further validation work is being supported by Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
Professor Costello's statement emphasizes the significance of the UK-EDI study for the field of early pancreatic cancer detection and diagnosis. Around 22.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed globally each year, and T3cDM accounts for approximately 10% of these new cases. Currently, there is no test to identify T3cDM, and it is often misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes (T2DM) or inappropriately managed.
Approximately 10 in 100 people with T3cDM have underlying pancreatic cancer, with diabetes acting as an early warning sign for the presence of cancer. This collaboration between the University of Liverpool and BARD1 Life Sciences Ltd represents a significant step forward in addressing this critical issue.
