Serenium Announces a Groundbreaking Biomarker Development Program with a Global Strategic Partner to Accelerate Early Identification of People at Risk for Chronic Disease
Palo Alto, California (PRWEB) March 15, 2016 -- Serenium announces a groundbreaking program with a global strategic partner for the next phase in the development of biomarkers for the early identification of a sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, which contributes to the progression of chronic medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression.
The Serenium biomarkers program will deliver an easy-to-use urine test for primary care physicians to predict and pre-empt chronic disease during a patient’s annual physical or checkup by identifying those individuals suffering from sleep apnea. Additionally, a consumer version will allow individuals to screen themselves at home. This first-ever set of clinically validated biomarkers provides an economical and scalable test that can fulfill the need for early identification of people at risk for costly and debilitating chronic diseases.
Serenium’s diagnostic technology works by detecting biomarkers that are present in people with sleep apnea. A major symptom of sleep apnea is snoring. The interrupted breathing and snoring caused by sleep apnea not only breaks the natural sleep rhythm, reducing the amount of deep, restorative sleep which is so important to a person’s health, but also leads to low levels of oxygen in the blood, adversely affecting all body organs.
Sleep apnea is highly correlated to chronic disease. Since sleep apnea alters the immune system and causes oxidative stress (an imbalance based on the low levels of oxygen that then causes toxic effects), it creates a cascade of negative health pathways that ultimately can contribute to chronic diseases. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that people with sleep apnea are two to five times more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, depression or cardiovascular disease.
“The importance of sleep is critical to improving patient and consumer long-term health, decreasing patient suffering and lowering health care costs,” said M. Cory Zwerling, CEO and Chairman of Serenium. “With Serenium’s clinically validated biomarkers test, we have an economical solution to enable the early evaluation of sleep issues before they progress to chronic diseases.”
Serenium’s development of this test for sleep apnea biomarkers will increase the historically low diagnosis rate for sleep apnea, presently only approximately 20% of people are diagnosed. In fact, since people who snore have a high probability of having sleep apnea, all snorers would be appropriate candidates for screening. The effect of this increased population testing will be to assist patients and consumers in obtaining treatment solutions via their physicians that will avoid or slow the progression towards costly chronic diseases.
Zwerling further stated, “Serenium’s biomarkers could become a new standard diagnostic and screening solution that will overcome the hurdles of early sleep apnea testing for everyone. Such a test does not exist today.”
This expanded reach, through both primary care physicians and directly to consumers, will dramatically increase the diagnosis of sleep apnea and expand treatment options for those at risk patients. Early treatment has the potential to slow or even prevent the onset of chronic disease.
Serenium is working with a global strategic partner to assist with the clinical advancement of this program to develop biomarkers. The partner’s expertise will accelerate the development of Serenium’s biomarkers solution for people around the world. At this time, the strategic partner remains confidential.
For more information, please contact Serenium.
Media Contact:
M. Cory Zwerling
Chief Executive Officer
Serenium
650-224-6446
coryz(at)sereniumscreen(dot)com
ABOUT SERENIUM
Serenium’s mission is to proactively screen all children and adults who snore, or have sleep disordered breathing, in order to predict and pre-empt chronic diseases. Through the early identification of at-risk people with Serenium’s biomarkers, this easy-to-use urine test will reduce the burden of costly and debilitating chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression and cardiovascular disease. Administered during a patient’s annual physical, or via at-home screening, Serenium’s first-ever set of clinically validated biomarkers will improve health outcomes, decrease patient suffering and lower healthcare costs.
M. Cory Zwerling, Serenium, http://www.sereniumscreen.com, +1 650-224-6446, [email protected]
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