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"Vascular Health Profile" concept by CytoVas may help improve cadio-vascular health
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A new company in the biotech sector, CytoVas, has developed a new concept for vascular health analysis, using a relatively new filed approach, cytomics, to screen the blood for viomarkers relating to vascular disease.

The early-stage company, dealing with in vitro diagnosis, is working to improve its Vascular Health Profile (VHP) concept. This new approach is based on cytomics, which analyzes cell systems and networks. VHP is a blood test that can potentially give a complete view of a person’s cardiovascular health status. The firm says VHP also can also be potentially used by pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs in a safer way.

In contrast to genomics, which deals with genetic and DNA analysis, or proteomics, doing th same with proteins; cytomics, a relatively new approach that arose in the last few years, is based on the combination of the two. It offers comprehensive detailed results based on protein and gene interaction, coupled with intracellular and extracellular interactions, and environmental factors. It uses data acquired from biomarkers in combination with data mining and modulating environmental factors to create highly personalized and individual vascular health profiles.

VHP uses a panel of biomarkers that indicate damage and repair to the cardiovascular system. The biomarkers measured are related to microparticles and endothelial progenitor cells. Microparticles indicate cell death levels or damage to the blood vessels, whereas endothelial progenitor cells reflect blood vessel repair capacity and speed. At this point, 13 biomarkers are measured, and the VHP panel can be customized to specific applications and different optimizations. “That’s part of our strategy to appeal to different markets,” says Pascal Yvon, Pharm.D., CEO.

VHP is based on discoveries made by researchers at the University of Pennysylvania. It combines cytomics, single-cell analysis, and data mining. Three Penn researchers—Emile Mohler, M.D., Jonni Moore, Ph.D., and Wade Rogers, Ph.D.—and Penn’s Upstart Incubator co-founded CytoVas in 2010.

Cardiovascular disease, as many other diseases, has an extremely complex biology which is subject to both individual differences and environmental factors. Cytomics presents a method to look at both the genetic and environmental influences of a disease. Compared to genomics, which coveres genes, and proteomics, which deals with proteins, cytomics captures the molecular integration of genes and proteins, as well as environmental factors like smoking and diet. “The beauty of cytomics is that it shows single-cell phenotypes of individuals resulting from genes and environmental exposures,” says Dr. Yvon.
Cytomics takes a top-down approach to diagnosing at a disease. “We start with phenotypes and link them to what we observe about a disease,” says Dr. Yvon. This is, in basis, easier than genomics or proteomics, which are bottom-up approaches. A top-down approach looks at the single-cell level of an individual, while genomics and proteomics look at biomolecular events in cell populations. This way of looking at things allows for a much more personalized approach to vascular health.
“Cytomics offers an efficient alternative to systemically explore the biocomplexity of human organisms and is more closely related to explaining a disease state,” -Dr. Yvon.
The technology available at CytoVas analyzes millions of cells at a rate of 100,000 events/second, and the large-output and high-dimensional analysis is sensitive and specific, says Dr. Yvon. It relies on flow cytometry and cytometric fingerprinting, which interprets and gives context to the huge volume of data gathered. Cytometric fingerprinting identifies specific patterns or signatures that are essential for a clinical diagnosis in an unbiased and correct way.

Microparticles are derivative of vascular damage caused by smoking, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other stressors. High levels of microparticles occur in clinical conditions where vascular dysfunction and inflammation happen, such as coronary artery disease.
On the other hand, endothelial progenitor cells are indicative of the bodies repair mechanism. They originate in the bone marrow. When endothelial damage occurs, cellular signals direct endothelial progenitor cells to the site of damage for repair. “In a healthy person, damage and repair mechanisms are in balance. But in an unhealthy person, damage overwhelms repair,” says Dr. Yvon.

CytoVas predicts a great market potential for their new diagnostic approach, and they indicate it might be used in pharmaceutical research to predict drug toxicity concerning the vascular system, and allow for quicker and more effective drug tests.

“You want to identify and include patients who will respond best to a new drug,” says Dr. Yvon. “Companies also can use VHP as a companion diagnostic to their cardiovascular drugs.”

It can also find application in medicine, as a powerful diagnostic tool, used by physicians to diagnose and monitor their patients.

“Physicians can use the information from the VHP to decide a course of treatment for a patient,” says Dr. Yvon



CytoVas
Location: 3160 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: (609) 705-3854
Website: www.cytovas.com
Principal: Pascal Yvon, Pharm.D., CEO
Focus: CytoVas develops advanced cell- and particle-based in vitro diagnostic assays to evaluate the health of the cardiovascular system in each individual.
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