Bruker Corporation has rolled out its new research-use-only NMR test, PhenoRisk PACS RuO, intended for molecular phenomics research on blood samples of Long Covid patients.
The device leverages a mix of multiplexed biomarkers discovered at Murdoch University, under the leadership of Australian National Phenome Centre (ANPC) director Jeremy Nicholson.
It supports research on early-stage risk factors, including longitudinal recovery monitoring and potential secondary organ damage in cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, kidney dysfunction and inflammation.
In addition, the test contains an Avance IVDr NMR spectroscopy system that simultaneously identifies various biological mechanisms of action within a 20-minute blood test.
PhenoRisk PACS RuO will support research on samples from people who survived acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, called Post-Acute Covid Syndrome (PACS), or ‘Long Covid’ syndrome.
Bruker BioSpin applied, industrial and clinical division president Dr Iris Mangelschots said: “We are very excited to provide this multi-organ PACS risk screen to the clinical and pharmaceutical research community, after the preliminary validation by our partners in the International Covid-19 Research Network.
“We believe that PhenoRisk PACS RuO could make a significant contribution in research to combat the effects of Long Covid.”
According to recent studies, NMR has played a crucial role in measuring Covid-19 progression and offers new insights into PACS, and Long Covid.
Bruker said that its PhenoRisk PACS RuO test is designed to characterise metabolic and proteomic biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 pathobiology, even in asymptomatic Covid cases.
In addition, the test is said to enable multi-organ risk assessment, recovery and therapeutic research in multiple Long Covid dysfunctions.
The new NMR test is capable of quantitatively discriminating PACS patients from healthy or fully recovered individuals, based on Covid-triggered pheno-conversion.
Bruker said that PhenoRisk PACS RuO will detect the subsequent pheno-reversion of metabolic signatures, and may indicate PACS recovery.
In addition, it quantifies composite signals for glycoproteins and phospholipids, along with a new NMR biomarker called Supramolecular Phospholipid Composite (SPC).
Furthermore, PhenoRisk PACS RuO expands the company’s offering for clinical research, based on its Avance IVDr NMR platform, which provides lipoprotein profiles and quantified small molecules in plasma and urine.