Under EUREKA project E! 2263 HOLOTC, Norwegian diagnostics company Axis Shield teamed up with Danish academics to find a way to pick up early warning signs of potentially harmful B12 deficits. The project pioneered a unique B12 detection system, which tracks concentrations of holotc (short for holo-transcobalamin), a biologically active complex of the vitamin plus a carrier protein. Although the holotc complex carries only 20% of the body's vitamin B12, the other 80% is not nearly as significant since it is effectively not available for uptake by the cells. Current diagnostic techniques measure the total amount of B12 in the blood. Because these tests do not discriminate between holotc and the inactive vitamin, they can misleadingly return a healthy result for patients with too little active B12.
Lars Orning, the Project Manager from Axis Shield, says "current methods are technically good, but have low diagnostic sensitivity. The HOLOTC test isolates vitamin B12, enabling early identification of patients with B12 malabsorption."
HOLOTC is well on the way to producing a simple, automated, adaptable radio immunoassay which the partners expect will take the largest share of the world market for vitamin B12 diagnostic tests.
Ebba Nexo of University Hospital of Aarhus, Denmark, describes how until recently it has not been possible to develop suitable methods to measure holotc. "The early detection of this key indicator has allowed our laboratories to develop measurement prototypes." As a result, "HOLOTC is well on the road to producing simple,
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Contact: Julie Sors
julie.sors@es.eureka.be
32-2-777-0969
EUREKA
4-Mar-2004