UNMET NEED
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can result from a number of changes in the cardiorespiratory system that cause increased pulmonary arterial pressure. Hemodynamic evaluation is one of the best diagnostics, but pulmonary artery catheterization is expensive and invasive; therefore biomarkers that diagnosis and/or predict PH are needed. Some of the current standard PH biomarkers, such as troponin or NT-proBNP, are considered markers of late stage disease, after damage has occurred. Therefore, biomarkers with earlier prognostic and/or diagnostic capabilities are needed to give more time for interventional therapies.
PROBLEM SOLVED
The primary investigators have found a new, non-cardiac circulating protein, hepatoma derived growth factor (HDGF), that correlates with diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension as well as correlates with prognosis of PH survival. Inventors have developed a high sensitivity ELISA diagnostic assay for HDGF in patient plasma samples that could result in earlier diagnosis of PH. The HDGF ELISA could also be used to test HDGF levels before and after drug treatment to help assess therapy efficacy. HDGF also provides a novel PH drug target.
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
The JHU inventors have developed a high sensitivity ELISA assay to detect HDGF in patient plasma samples.
Using a pulmonary hypertension patient cohort from Johns Hopkins, the inventors found HDGF significantly predicted survival in affected patients. In addition, HDGF was as good as predicting survival as the current industry standard pulmonary hypertension biomarker, NT-proBNP.
Investigators found that HDGF correlated with decreased six minute walk distance, one the most important clinical functional measure in pulmonary hypertension
PUBLICATIONS
Yang, Jun, et al. "Hepatoma Derived Growth Factor Predicts Disease Severity and Survival in Pulmonary Artery Hypertension." American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2016 Jun 2.
PCT Application WO 2016/029091
