MSDx announced today the first of a series of blood testing products that provide novel tools for studying disease processes. Today the company is introducing The NK Cytolytic Competence Assay (Human CD16/Perforin) Flow Cytometry Kit, a Research Use Only (RUO) kit, which has wide-ranging potential for research in multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and many other disease areas.
This product wa s funded in part by a commercialization grant awarded by the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA). The ACA grant is part of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and Government Services Fund, administered by the U.S. Department of Education and the Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery.
Marie Wesselhoft, MSDx President and Co-Founder, states: “This product release marks the first commercial launch for the company. MSDx identified a panel of novel biomarkers that, in the long term, may provide researchers and clinicians with critical data to aid in monitoring disease activity.”
This product was alpha tested at Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix. These sites provided important analysis and feedback on the usability of the kit.
Immunologist Mrinalini Kala, Ph.D., Director of the Flow Cytometry Core at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, agrees. “The NK (Natural Killer) Perforin flow-cytometry-based quantitative kit is easy to use, with its clear data analysis,” says Kala. “It is promising for a wide range of applications in studying NK cell biology, including: cancer, autoimmunity, neurological diseases and normal homeostasis of the immune system. It has immense potential to enhance understanding and open new research horizons of NK cell biology in both basic and clinical research.”
Dr. Ramesh Nayak, Ph.D., Director of Research at MSDx, emphasized the importance of this research, adding: “NK cells are part of the human immune system, and help kill cells infected by viruses. Deficiencies in NK cell killing activity exist in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis; and although the molecular basis of this deficiency is unknown, the expression of the protein Perforin appears to play a fundamental role. By directly measuring Perforin expression and therefore the competency of NK cells, MSDx’s NK Perforin Kit has the potential to help unlock new avenues of research.”
More information about NK Perforin and MSDx’s new product is available at www.msdx.co.
About MSDx
MSDx develops Research Use Only (RUO) and In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) blood tests for studying disease processes. These novel biomarker tools will be used to monitor neurological, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. The company has been developing biomarkers that have applicability in a much broader set of autoimmune diseases. The company is located in Tucson at the University of Arizona’s Tech Park business incubator called the Arizona Center for Innovation (AzCI). Please visit www.msdx.co for more information about the company and their patent-pending technology.
Media Contact
Marie Wesselhoft
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