Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Luminex Corporation

Luminex develops, manufactures, and markets biological testing technologies with applications in clinical diagnostics... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Thombomodulin Identified as Unique Biomarker for Diagnosing Necrotizing Soft-Tissue Infections

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 26 Jul 2021
Thrombomodulin, a protein present in blood plasma, is a biomarker that may be useful for diagnosing necrotizing soft-tissue infections.

Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) are bacterial infections characterized by rapid tissue degradation. More...
NSTIs are rapidly progressing infections frequently complicated by septic shock and associated with high mortality. Early diagnosis is critical for patient outcome, but challenging due to vague initial symptoms.

Investigators at Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) searched for useful biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of NSTIs. For the search, the investigators used Luminex (Austin, TX, USA) multiplex assays to analyze 36 soluble factors in blood plasma from the 311 NSTI patients included in the international INFECT study. Control groups included patients with suspected NSTI and sepsis, respectively.

Results of the study pointed to thrombomodulin as being a unique biomarker for detection of NSTI. Thrombomodulin is an integral membrane protein expressed on the surface of endothelial cells and serves as a cofactor for thrombin. It reduces blood coagulation by converting thrombin to an anticoagulant enzyme from a procoagulant enzyme. In humans, thrombomodulin is encoded by the THBD gene. The protein has a molecular mass of 74 kiloDaltons, and consists of a single chain with six tandemly repeated EGF-like domains, a serine/threonine-rich spacer, and a transmembrane domain.

Senior author Dr. Anna Norrby-Teglund, professor of medicine at Karolinska Institutet, said, "The new biomarker, thrombomodulin, proved to be superior to the laboratory parameters used clinically today. There are currently no tools for safe, rapid diagnosis in life-threatening soft tissue infections. Our findings are consequently very interesting as the biomarkers identified are possible candidates for improved diagnostics. The results are also relevant for individualized treatment in the future."

The study was published in the July 15, 2021, online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Related Links:
Karolinska Institutet
Luminex


New
Gold Member
Quality Control Material
iPLEX Pro Exome QC Panel
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Specimen Radiography System
TrueView 200 Pro
New
DNA/RNA Extraction/Purification Kit
Nucleic Acid Extraction or Purification Kit
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.