Corporations Partner to Facilitate Earlier Diagnosis of Lupus
Exagen Diagnostics and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have announced a collaborative effort to raise awareness of Exagen's AVISE laboratory tests which enables physicians to make an earlier diagnosis of lupus and monitor the health status of people undergoing treatment. The Lupus Foundation of America (Foundation) played an important role in the development of these tests. We funded the early research studies which provided data that was subsequently used to obtain a $1.4 million grant from the US Department of Defense (DoD) Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program to further this research.
It was the Foundation's advocacy efforts that opened up the DoD research program for lupus research studies. Research America, a Washington DC-based advocacy organization that works to increase funding for medical research, honored the Foundation last year in recognition of our leadership for lupus research, patient and professional education, and public awareness. Former vice-president Joe Biden praised the Foundation for helping to develop a lupus diagnostic.
A Lupus Foundation of America survey found that on average a lupus diagnosis requires visits to four different physicians over a six-year span. The Foundation has as one of its strategic outcomes to shorten the time to an accurate diagnosis. A delayed diagnosis contributes to poorer outcomes as lupus continues to damage the body's organs without proper treatment.
The collaboration between Exagen and GSK will raise awareness of Exagen's AVISE diagnostic and monitoring tests to a select group of healthcare professionals around the world. The AVISE Connective Tissue Disease (CTD) test measures specific biomarkers in the blood and analyzes that data to determine the likelihood of a person having lupus. The AVISE SLE Monitor is a combination of five advanced tests that help physicians assess a person's level of disease activity. Learn more by reading the full news release.