Athera Biotechnologies, Electra-Box Diagnostica sign distribution agreement for 'CVDefine' kit

Athera Biotechnologies and Electra-Box Diagnostica, announced today that they have signed an agreement for distribution of "CVDefine" kit. CVDefine measures a new biomarker in blood, a specific anti-body, that has been linked to increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Athera Biotechnologies is part of the Karolinska Development portfolio.

Carina Schmidt, VD i Athera:

"This is an important step in the broader commercialization of CVDefine. Together with Electra-Box we will now be able to expand our contacs with leading clinial scientist in the cardiovascular field and increase the exposure of our trademark. We look forward to be able to work with the experienced Electra-Box team."

Peter Blom, responsible for clinical chemistry in Electra-Box Diagnostica: "We are very excited about the opportunities this agreement present. This will allow us to offer a new CVD biomarker to customers in Scandinavia. Since CVDefine(R) may add important and independent information in cardiovascular risk assessment; we believe there is a lot of interest from scientist in the field to generate further clinical research data".

High levels of IgM antibodies against phosphorylcholine (anti-PC) have been shown to be cardio-protective. Low levels of anti-PC are known to be involved in atherosclerosis development and increased risk for acute cardiovascular events, like stroke and myocardial infarction. Athera is investigating the possibilities to develop new immunological therapies to prevent secondary cardiovascular events and to identify the patients who benefit most from this treatment with CVDefine, and consequently contribute to better care after acute heart disease.