NEW YORK – Autoimmune diagnostics company Augurex Life Sciences said Friday that it has entered a nonexclusive agreement with Quest Diagnostics under which Quest will validate and offer in the United States a laboratory-developed test based on Augurex's 14-3-3eta biomarker.
The test will measure levels of the 14-3-3eta protein, which is used in the diagnosis and management of inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Elevated levels of 14-3-3eta protein are specific for RA and have been linked to more severe disease and risk of joint damage.
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not dlsclosed.
"Our agreement with Augurex builds on our record of innovation in autoimmune disease, which includes being the first U.S. lab provider to introduce a lab-developed test based on the Augurex 14-3-3eta biomarker more than a decade ago. We look forward to reintroducing our 14-3-3eta lab-developed test to physicians later this month," James Faix, medical director, immunology and R&D at Quest, said in a statement.
"With the increasing recognition of 14-3-3eta as a valuable biomarker in inflammatory diseases, Quest’s reintroduction of this test to physicians in the U.S. will expand access to an important tool for expediting treatment decisions," Augurex CEO Neil Klompas said in a statement.
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Augurex offers the 14-3-3eta test in that country under the name Jointstat.