NEW YORK – Autoimmune diagnostic firm Exagen announced Wednesday it has entered an exclusive worldwide license agreement with the Ohio State Innovation Foundation to develop and market a fibromyalgia blood test.
The rule-in test, developed by researchers at The Ohio State University, uses vibrational spectroscopy and metabolomic analysis to differentiate patients with fibromyalgia from other disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or chronic lower back pain.
A study published last year in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found clear metabolomic patterns differentiating fibromyalgia blood samples from other rheumatic diseases, the firm said in a statement.
Under the agreement, Exagen will have commercial diagnostic development and marketing rights for the test.
"Patients with fibromyalgia and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis may have similar symptoms especially in early stage disease, making differential diagnosis difficult," said Exagen President and CEO Ron Rocca in a statement. "A rule-in test for fibromyalgia would be a significant advancement in the earlier diagnosis and appropriate treatment of these patients."