Hummingbird Diagnostics GmbH, a leader in blood-based small RNA detection and characterisation, presented its latest research at the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) conference held between 24 and 27 October in Boston (US). The company is pioneering the development of novel small RNA-based blood diagnostics for early disease detection of a broad range of indications. Its novel small RNA discovery “mirCator” platform breaks new ground and sets the standard for analysing and mapping small RNAs from blood.
The company said that the mirCator platform combines proprietary wet lab innovations, largely automated workflows and advanced machine learning data analysis to deliver unprecedented technical performance. The company has applied its state-of-the-art “mirCator” platform to answer critical questions related to Alzheimer's disease (AD). This holds the potential for early disease detection, disease-specific prognostics, treatment response prediction, and the development of patient-centric therapies. The featured work in AD was made possible through funding by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and the collaboration with researchers from the European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia Project (EPAD) and their Longitudinal Cohort Study that screened over 2,000 participants and collected a wide range of cognitive, clinical, neuroimaging and biomarker data in people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
In his poster presentation entitled “Blood-Based small RNA Biomarkers and the ATN(V) Framework: Predicting Neurodegeneration and Vascular Profiles in the EPAD Cohort”, BrunoSteinkraus, CSO of Hummingbird Diagnostics, presented a study aiming to identify specific blood-based miRNA signatures in people with AD. Findings suggested the potential of a small RNA-based blood test as a viable complement to the ATN (Amyloid, Tau, Neurodegeneration) framework for the management of people at risk for AD.