Saliva based diagnostic test for eosinophilic oesophagitis

Summary

A Spanish (Basque) scientific foundation specialized in R&D and innovation management for healthcare systems seeks a company to license a method to analyse the diagnosis and/or prognosis of Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE), using determination and quantification of certain salivary biomarkers.

Description

Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE) is an inflammatory disease characterised by the presence of a large number of eosinophils (a variety of white blood cells) in the oesophagus.
The symptoms caused by EoE are variable, including diarrhoea or weight loss, and may be mistaken for other diseases (such as celiac disease). This may lead to diagnostic delays and difficulties.
EoE final diagnosis is currently achieved using invasive methods by means of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsies.
A rise in EoE incidence and prevalence is becoming a major cause of upper gastrointestinal morbidity in children and adults.
Delayed diagnosis seems associated with fibrostenotic disease complaints, suggesting timely recognition of the disease may impact its clinical course.
This invention provides a non-invasive method for selective testing of patients with higher risk of developing EoE, facilitating diagnostic processes, reducing the number of endoscopies, and enabling better management of patients.

The organization is offering a license agreement to experienced companies from the health sector interested in acquiring this technology. Although it is not compulsory, it would be preferable for the partner to be a healthcare facility so that the validation of the method can be carried out.

Stage of Development

Under development/lab tested

Stage of Development Comment

Diagnostic tool validated in saliva samples of patients diagnosed by histology of eosinophilic esophagitis and healthy controls.

Requested Partner

The Spanish (Basque) organization is offering a license agreement to experienced companies in preclinical and clinical development of medical devices and diagnostic kits interested in acquiring this technology. Moreover, this license offer seeks both options: On the one side, companies willing to commercialise, but also companies interested in enhancing the invention.
It would be preferable for the partner to be a healthcare facility so that the validation of the method can be carried out. Nevertheless, this is not compulsory.