Hamburg, June 1st, 2012.
IBL International, a leader in the development, production and distribution of immunodiagnostic products, announced today that it has obtained an exclusive, worldwide licence from Leiden University Medical Centre （LUMC） to manufacture and sell an ELISA assay for the detection of MuSK antibodies for the diagnosis of patients with Myasthenia gravis.
Myasthenia gravis （MG） is a severe autoimmune neuromuscular disease often caused by acetylcholine receptor antibodies which block proper signalling between neurons and muscle. However, some 20% of patients with generalized MG and up to 50% of patients with ocular MG show no detectable antibodies to the acetylcholine receptor （“seronegative” MG）. The muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase （MuSK） plays an essential role in the neuromuscular junction, and MuSK-blocking antibodies have been found in about 50% of seronegative MG patients. MuSK MG patients are mostly female, have prominent cranial and bulbar involvement, and the onset of the disease tends to be at an early age, though the elderly can be affected as well. A new ELISA method has now been developed at LUMC by Prof. van der Maarel and Prof. Verschuuren: the first to provide rapid, nonradioactive identification and quantification of MuSK antibodies in human serum. Measurement of MuSK antibodies will substantially improve diagnosis and clinical management of Myasthenia gravis.
For more than 15 years IBL has been offering the gold standard in serological diagnosis of MG: a radioactive assay for the detection of acetylcholine-receptor autoantibodies （ARAb）. That assay is now complemented by the new （and validated） MuSK ELISA, for which recently obtained CE registration. Jan Boesen, CEO of International says: “The MuSK ELISA will strengthen our expertise and enhance our portfolio of biomarkers for the diagnosis of MG; it creates added value, because nearly 95% of MG patients can be detected now that we have both assays”.
For more information please contact:
International GmbH:
Dirk Böttcher, Head of Finance
Phone : +49 （0）40-53 28 91-0
www.ibl-international.com
International GmbH in Hamburg belongs to a Netherlands holding company and provides one of the widest ranges of immunoassays for special diagnostics used in research and routine laboratories. Most of its products are based on immunoassay
technology. International has a direct sales organization in Germany, the Netherlands and the US, and a worldwide international distribution network.
Leiden University Medical Centre （LUMC） focuses on top quality highly specialised clinical care including complex medical issues for which there are often no answers as yet. With atient care and research labs under one roof, patients, doctors and researchers work together to develop new treatment methods. The LUMC also offers teaching courses and continuing education for doctors and other medical specialists.