A Medical Device Daily

LipoScience (Raleigh, North Carolina) reported a collaboration with BioReference Laboratories (Elmwood Park, New Jersey) to offer the NMR LipoProfile test.

Portions of the NMR LipoProfile test, developed by LipoScience, will be used by BioReference in its new Advanced Cardiovascular Testing (ACT) program.

The ACT program provides physicians a cardiovascular report including a suite of results to aid physicians in management of their patients’ cardiovascular health. The patient-friendly report also functions as a “Report Card” to help patients and their physicians track the results of the ACT test over time.

BioReference bills itself as the largest independent regional clinical laboratory in the Northeast providing focused laboratory services on a national basis in the areas of oncology (primarily hematopathology), clinical genetics and correctional healthcare. The agreement with LipoScience will expand availability of the NMR LipoProfile test.

“This valuable collaboration with BioReference Laboratories builds on our corporate strategy to broaden access to the NMR LipoProfile test and decentralize clinical applications of NMR technology,” said Richard Brajer, president/CEO of LipoScience.

The test uses NMR spectroscopy to analyze blood plasma samples and provide detailed information about the number of LDL particles in the bloodstream. The number of LDL particles is the optimal measure of LDL and of the heart disease risk that LDL causes.

LDL particles are containers in the blood that carry the so-called “bad” cholesterol. The number of these particles (LDL-P) is a better indicator of heart disease risk than the amount of cholesterol the particles contain. The NMR LipoProfile test measures LDL-P and provides related information, enabling doctors to optimally manage the heart disease risk of their patients.

LipoScience markets the NMR LipoProfile test to clinicians, commercial diagnostic laboratories and clinical research clients. It introduced the NMR LipoProfile blood test for clinical research in 1997 and for use in patient care in 1999.