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Autoimmune diseases, among which are Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), Sjogren Syndrome (SjS) and Rheumatoid Arthritis, are caused by alterations in the immune system. The incidence of these pathologies is rising in the western world, very likely due to factors linked to infectious agents, environmental pollution, stress, excessive exposure to the sun rays and novel food habits.
Autoimmune diseases represent pathologies that involve different fields of medicine. Their diagnosis requires both the evaluation of clinical symptoms and use of specific laboratory tests. Positive test results are an indispensable element for the diagnosis. Most autoimmune diseases show indeed a positive test for certain autoantibodies as part of their classification criteria.
NoToPharm performs R&D to develop new diagnostic kits for use in the field of autoimmunity. The company owes exclusive license rights from the University of Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro" for a patent ("Differential diagnosis of scleroderma") based on the work performed by the research team of the founders. The company intends to exploit the patent rights to develop a diagnostic kit with a new molecular marker (IFI16) for the differential diagnosis of autoimmune diseases by means of an immunoassay (ELISA).
The possibility to improve the predictive diagnosis of autoimmune diseases will allow the reduction of the pharmacological treatment with the accompanying benefits for the patient and significant savings for the national health services.
