UMDF Conference draws interest to immunodiagnostics

Eugene, OR — Once every two years, the United Mitochodrial Disease Foundation organizes a conference to bring together clinical and research entities, creating a collaborative atmosphere to share new discoveries in mitochondrial medicine. Presentations at this year’s conference, which was held August 4-7 in Pittsburgh, PA, highlighted the importance of standardization in the diagnosis and treatment of mitochondrial disorders. MitoSciences co-founder Dr. Michael Marusich discussed the usefulness of immunodiagnostics at the “Standards Workshop,” where such an approach was “recognized and acknowledged as having excellent potential to simplify and streamline initial diagnoses, and to also help characterize molecular details of defects,” according to Dr. Marusich. Subsequent presentations by experts unaffiliated with the company also made reference to the value of immunodiagnostic applications, which compliments traditional pathology and histologic techniques, enzyme activity studies, as well as new approaches like proteomics. MitoSciences is taking a leadership position in establishing standardized diagnostics for mitochondrial diseases, as the company was awarded an NIH-STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) grant in June 2004 to develop simple tests for clinical and research applications, paving the way for new methods in mitochondrial medicine.