Bioiberica Farma presents Arthrosischip, a DNA-based test that predicts rapid progression of knee osteoarthritis

Barcelona, April 25th, 2012. Genetic inheritance plays in important role in the onset of osteoarthritis. On the basis of that premise, Bioibérica Farma has been researching for more than four years genetic alterations associated to osteoarthritis progression. The result of this research is Arthrosischip, a DNA saliva test that allows to identify patients with high risk of rapid knee osteoarthritis progression. This tool could be useful to identify worst cases and to assess the risks of prosthetic surgery.

Preliminary results of this clinical trial have been presented this morning to the media by Dr. Josep Vergés, Medical and Scientific director of Bioiberica Farma, and co-director of the Arthrosischip Project at the press conference inaugurating the World Congress on Osteoarthritis (OARSI) being held in Barcelona. The researchers from Bioibérica, after analyzing the medical data of more than 300 patients of primary knee osteoarthritis coming from 32 different Spanish hospitals, have been able to identify a number of significant genetic biomarkers or SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) associated to severe cases of knee osteoarthritis.

This test needs to be done only once, and predicts the possibility (in %) of developing rapid progression knee osteoarthritis in the future. Individuals taking the Arthrosischip test need only to put saliva in a sample collection container. Physicians would later extract and analyze DNA in a laboratory. According to Dr. Vergés, “Arthrosischip could be used to give priority to patients with genetic predisposition to rapid progression knee osteoarthritis, and therefore, to differentiate those patients who will require more resources from those who will not, thus allowing for savings in health care expenditure. In this way, physicians will be able to give them personalized treatment, and to implement correcting measures”.

Although Arthrosischip has a high degree of accuracy, physicians should keep in mind that genes are not the only factors associated to osteoarthritis progression. However, even when a test does not detect risk of rapid osteoarthritis progression, we cannot discard completely other outcomes.

This project, is a joint effort by Bioiberica Farma, a Spanish company with more than 30 years of experience in joint health care; family physicians, rheumatologists, trauma and physiotherapists coming from 32 Spanish hospitals; Progenika, a Basque company specializing in the design and development of biotechnological tools; and the Juan Canalejo University Hospital from A Coruña. Now that the preliminary results of the study have been obtained, the scientific development phase has finished. Now begins the technical development phase of the product prototype that could be ready at the end of the year.

The results of the Arthrosischip Project will be presented to the scientific community today at 11 am during the symposium on personalized medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis (click here to download the program), one of the conferences of the 17th World Congress on Osteoarthritis currently taking place in Barcelona. Hosted by the OsteoArthritis Research Society International, (OARSI) it will be attended by more than 1200 international specialists to share and disseminate the latest advances in osteoarthritis research.

For further information on osteoarthritis:

http://www.condroprotector.es (Blog on osteoarthritis and chondroprotection)

@Condronews

For further information on Bioiberica Farma:

For further information on the World Congress on Osteoarthritis:

For further information about this Project, or to arrange an interview please contact:

Alba Soler i Conangla

Communications Manager, Bioibérica Farma

+34 682 040 776 or +34 93 490 49 08

Aina Mauri

+34 93 217 22 17