Diagnostics firm Evogen has partnered with biopharmaceutical firm UCB to advance the development of its EvoScore START for improved diagnosis of epilepsy.
Evogen designed the proteomics-based blood test to accurately differentiate epileptic seizures from other events.
EvoScore START can study the ratio and concentration of key protein biomarkers in a simple blood test format to find out whether an event was actually a seizure.
According to Evogen, only around 15% of suspected seizure-like events are actual epileptic seizures and there are no easily available tools that can definitively distinguish a seizure from another event.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting around 65 million people worldwide and more than 2 million people in the US.
Evogen president and CEO Todd Wallach said: "Evogen aims to be the leader in neurology proteomic and genomic testing, and we believe that EvoScore START has the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of epilepsy.
"We are accordingly thrilled to work with epilepsy leader UCB to conduct further development of this innovative biomarker-based blood test.
“We have always admired UCB's long-standing commitment to the epilepsy field and look forward to UCB's expert help in further refining this important new diagnostic tool for epilepsy patients and their healthcare providers."
Evogen is engaged in the development of proteomics and genomics-based testing solutions for improved diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, while UCB develops novel medicines and solutions to treat iseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system.