Grant: Engage Grants Program

Correct and early diagnosis of diabetes, and cardiovascular disease and associated metabolic syndrome isessential to identify a treatment regime that is of the most benefit to individuals. IR2Dx develops and marketsdiagnostic tests that monitor the levels of blood markers that are closely associated with disease progressionand severity. These blood markers are much more accurate that traditional measurements, such as bloodglucose, for diagnosing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, there is an additional need for bloodtests that can measure recently discovered disease-associated blood markers so that these diseases can bedetected even earlier. It is first necessary to determine if these biomarkers can be reliably detected in bloodand/or tissue, which requires the development of assays specific for these biomarkers. In addition, detection ofcombinations of these biomarkers simultaneously is highly valuable as it saves on precious biological materialand provides additional information than one biomarker on its own. Therefore, we will also determine ifdetection of multiple biomarkers in the same assay is feasible and reliable. Lastly, we will attempt tominiaturize the assay as a first step in potentially providing the assay directly to physicians for use as anin-office assay.