Aterovax Signs Collaboration with Biomnis to Offer sPLA2 Activity Testing in Pharmaceutical Clinical Research

Aterovax Signs Collaboration with Biomnis to Offer sPLA2 Activity Testing in Pharmaceutical Clinical Research
 
Paris, France, August 25, 2010 - Aterovax SA, a company developing innovative products for atherosclerosis, today announced a collaboration with Biomnis SA, an international medical testing and pathology services company, to offer its sPLA2 activity testing as a biomarker in pharmaceutical clinical trial research. During clinical trials biomarker data are used to better understand the disease, monitor the effects of a particular treatment or to help with the enrolment of patients. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
 
The phospholipases A2 (PLA2) superfamily of enzymes plays a key role in the inflammatory process. The activity of secretory PLA2 (sPLA2) is closely associated with the rupture of the atherosclerotic plaque and the subsequent risk of cardiovascular events. In clinical studies of drugs for indications such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and inflammatory disorders, sPLA2 activity acts as a marker of how effective the drug could be as a treatment.
 
"This agreement with Biomnis will help establish sPLA2 activity as an important biomarker in clinical research along with existing disease indicators. As sPLA2 activity plays a causal role in disease, we believe it will provide valuable information for future disease management," stated Dr Dominique Surun, CEO of Aterovax. "By including sPLA2 activity testing in clinical research, pharmaceutical companies will be able to further optimize patient enrolment into trials. With better patient selection, the time and costs of clinical trials could potentially be reduced."
 
As testing for sPLA2 activity reflects the inflammatory status of the atherosclerotic plaque, it could be used as a potent efficacy biomarker in cardiovascular drug development. In fact, sPLA2 activity testing has been included in a major international Phase III study of a statin vs an ACE inhibitor.  Similarly, the sPLA2 activity test could be used as a companion diagnostic in the clinical development of sPLA2 inhibitors.
 
About Biomnis
The European leader in the specialized medical pathology sector, Biomnis (www.biomnis.com) was renamed in 2008 after the merger of Laboratoire Marcel Merieux with Laboratoire Claude Levy. Biomnis generates a consolidated turnover of approximately €220 million and operates around ten laboratories in France and in Europe. The group has over 1600 employees and offers a very wide range of tests, including all specialized procedures for which it has obtained all the approvals required. A major player in the United Kingdom and the Middle East, Biomnis is continuing its international development. Its strategy is based on very advanced technical expertise and the control of the peripheral functions of the sector, making it possible to improve quality of service, such as logistics via its subsidiary TSE Express Médical, or I.T., via its subsidiary Openlab.
 
About Aterovax
Aterovax is developing innovative products for the cardiovascular disease market based on a unique understanding of atherosclerosis, the condition responsible for most cardiovascular problems. Aterovax's first product is a diagnostic blood test to measure activity of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), a powerful biomarker that provides physicians with clinically relevant information about the presence of a destabilized atherosclerotic plaque. Detecting and measuring this complex processes is critical to monitoring the pathology of atherosclerosis. Currently, Aterovax's sPLA2 activity test is only available for research applications. The company will seek regulatory approval to anticipate coronary heart disease in asymptomatic individuals and to predict pathological events in patients with existing cardiovascular disease. Aterovax is currently investigating the role of additional new biomarkers involved in atherosclerosis.  The Company was founded in Paris, France in 2006 with financing from the SEFTI fund, a specialist European cardiovascular fund. For more information visit www.aterovax.com.
 
Contacts:
Dominique Surun, CEO                                              Mike Sinclair, Director
Aterovax                                                                     Halsin Partners (for Aterovax)                     
Tel: +33 (0) 1 53 10 53 47                                           Tel: +44 (0)20 7318 2955
 
Thierry Nicloux, Director Clinical Trials
Biomnis
Tel: +33 (0) 6 74 98 03 93
 
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