H.U. Group Holdings Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiary Fujirebio, today announced an agreement with the Diagnostics Accelerator initiative of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) to accelerate the development of a plasma pTau181 detection assay on the fully automated LUMIPULSE^® G immunoassay platform. pTau is recognized as an important fluid biomarker linked to the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The ADDF Diagnostics Accelerator initiative is part of a collaboration with Gates Ventures and other philanthropic partners.

Blood-based testing could have the potential to become a simple, accessible, and scalable approach to help support the diagnosis of AD. Of all the AD blood biomarkers under investigation, pTau has particular promise¹. Access to a fully automated Lumipulse^® G plasma pTau181 assay will allow clinicians and clinical research professionals to measure plasma pTau181 levels with a high degree of precision and efficiency. The test could also help simplify AD drug clinical trial recruitment of eligible cohorts.

“We are pleased to begin this cooperation with the ADDF, cementing the active engagement of Fujirebio to reach new milestones in AD testing,” said Christiaan De Wilde, CEO of Fujirebio Europe. “Fujirebio has an unrivalled heritage as a pioneer in the field of AD research, and the desire to tackle this and other neurodegenerative diseases runs deep throughout our teams. The possibility of easily accessible blood tests for the fully automated diagnosis of AD is a breakthrough the world is eagerly waiting for.”

Fujirebio was the first company to develop and market cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers under the Innogenetics brand over 25 years ago. Today these products are an essential part of routine AD testing in many parts of the world. Fujirebio remains the only company with such a comprehensive line-up of fully automated AD assays and consistently partners with organizations and clinical experts across the world to develop new pathways for earlier, easier and more complete neurodegenerative diagnostic tools. More information can be found at www.fujirebio.com/alzheimer.

About Fujirebio

Fujirebio is a global leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics (IVD) testing with more than 50 years’ experience in the conception, development, production and worldwide commercialization of robust IVD products. These span the range from specialized testing to fully automated routine clinical laboratory testing solutions covering a variety of disease states.

About the Diagnostics Accelerator

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation’s (ADDF) Diagnostics Accelerator is a collaborative research initiative funded by leading philanthropists including ADDF Co-Founder Leonard A. Lauder, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott, the Dolby family, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, and The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration among others to fast-track the development of affordable and accessible diagnostic tools and biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

References

1. Zetterberg & Blennow, Mol Neurodegener 2021; 16 :10.

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The possibility of easily accessible blood tests for the fully automated diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is a breakthrough the world is eagerly waiting for.