"We showcased our innovative point-of-care platform, Psyros, to aid rapid diagnosis of myocardial infarction, while engaging in discussions on the latest advancements in the field," says Prolight's CSO, Dr. Aileen McGettrick.
Cardiac Markers Dialogue Meeting is an important platform for engaging and educating clinical researchers, biomedical experts, physicians and the diagnostics industry in this ever-growing field. The first meeting took place in 2010 and this year it was time for the sixth meeting on 26-27 September 2024 in Glasgow.
The meeting is a global gathering point for Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in cardiology and cardiac markers, which provided Prolights Diagnostics opportunity to interact directly with leading cardiologists, emergency medicine specialists and researchers. The meeting featured keynote speakers, panel discussions and workshops focusing on the use of cardiac markers in clinical practice.
Prolight's patient-facing analysis system for fast and accurate diagnosis
Several discussions during the meeting focused on point-of-care (POC) testing. POC tests are performed at or near the point of care, such as in emergency rooms, and enable rapid diagnostic results, leading to faster clinical decisions and better patient outcomes.
The meeting emphasized the benefits of being able to rule out myocardial infarction with a single sample, by using a defined lower cut-off value for the cardiac marker troponin. To safely and reliably rule out myocardial infarction with a single sample requires high sensitivity and precision, and that is exactly what Prolight Diagnostics strives for.
Prolight Diagnostics' POC system, Psyros, is designed to help healthcare providers quickly confirm or rule out heart attacks, which can enable early treatment and save lives. The ability to quickly rule out heart attacks is beneficial for both patients and the healthcare economy.
CSO talks about the meeting and the benefits of Psyros
Prolight Diagnostics was one of the sponsors of the Cardiac Markers Dialogue Meeting, along with other leading companies in the industry. Prolight Diagnostics had three representatives on site; two of the founders – Aileen McGettrick (CSO) and Steve Ross (CTO) – and one of the company's researchers, Toby Greenfield.
BioStock contacted Aileen to get her thoughts on the event and the discussions that took place.
POC diagnostics was a key theme at the Cardiac Markers Dialogue Meeting. In your opinion, how will POC technology like Psyros shape the future of early detection of cardiac events and accelerate diagnostic pathways?
– The field has been waiting for good POC systems for a long time and the vast majority of COPDs are strong advocates for the use of POC systems to measure cardiac biomarkers, particularly troponin. Having lab quality test results available for the clinician to act quickly will help with two things. Firstly, the safe early rule out of low risk patients using the single sample rule-out cut off. And secondly the implementation of rapid diagnostic protocols where serial measurements are taken a few hours apart and the change (or lack of change) between the results aids the diagnosis of myocardial infarction.
- Additionally, one of the speakers demonstrated that the ability to discharge patients more rapidly from Emergency Departments significantly reduces all-cause mortality for all patients.
What feedback did you receive regarding Psyros from healthcare professionals and researchers at the Cardiac Markers Dialogue Meeting?
- People often comment that they like our unique technology because of its simplicity. The absence of liquid reagents onboard the cartridge and the ability to measure low levels of troponin in a small volume (15uL) of whole blood with no red cell separation is unique to the Psyros high sensitivity POC assay. The modern design, the easy to read screen and the LED device status indicator bar are other features that were complimented.
How important is feedback and collaboration with Key Opinion Leader for successful integration of Psyros in clinical practice?
- When the time is right, working with KOLs and getting them to perform an independent assessment of the Psyros platform will be essential for future success. We have been working with our Clinical Advisory Board during development of the platform to ensure it has appropriate features for the first intended use setting in the emergency room.
Could you elaborate on the specific advantages of the Psyros platform compared to traditional laboratory tools for troponin measurement?
- The Psyros platform has a much faster turnaround time than central laboratory systems. Troponin measurements will be available in less than 10 minutes compared to approximately 60 minutes or more from the lab. Faster lab-equivalent results, available at the point of use in the emergency room, will allow clinicians to improve care pathways to make more efficient use of limited resources and speed up time to diagnosis. The rapid availability of our results is also beneficial to patients. It ensures patients needing care are more rapidly assessed and provides quick reassurance for the majority of patients who are MI-negative.
- Taking troponin measurement outside the hospital environment is one big advantage for POC systems. Use in remote settings has many benefits.
- The Psyros system is small and portable, perfectly suited for paramedics to transport on an ambulance and use in the patient's home. This would be an excellent future application for the Psyros platform.
