A proprietary diagnostic test has been developed which is highly sensitive and is capable of detecting liver disease from the blood serum samples. Dr Bishnu Pada Chatterjee, Emeritus Professor, Department of Natural Sciences, West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata, informed that as the test uses only blood serum samples, it is minimally invasive and inexpensive as well.

He was speaking on the ‘Implications of Glycobiology in Human Health, Disease and Cancer Therapeutics’ during a plenary session at the 108th Indian Science Congress (ISC) hosted at Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University.

During the session, Dr Chatterjee also highlighted the potential for commercial development of the proprietary test developed. He explained how Hepatitis B virus is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Asia and India.

The talk also touched upon the detection of serum phosphoproteins in chronic hepatitis B, cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through various methods.

Speaking about the pathogenesis of many relevant human diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, and diabetes that are associated with chronic inflammation, Dr Hafiz Ahmed, President and CEO of GlycoMantra Inc., Biotechnology Center at the University of Maryland, US, said efforts were being made to develop a proprietary glycopeptide drug named GM101. The drug blocks the spread, increases survival and adds to the anti-tumour response of the body.

He also presented information regarding the pre-clinical validation of the drug in animal models. The talk further highlighted the future plans that includes IND-enabling experiments such as animal toxicity studies and cGMP manufacturing required for the Phase I clinical trials.