Novel Data on SphingoTec's Biomarkers for acute and critical care setting to be presented at AKI & CRRT 2020
- Numerous talks and posters on sphingotec’s acute care biomarkers in the scientific program of the conference
- sphingotec to host symposium “Relevant Pathways, Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Acute Organ Dysfunction”
Hennigsdorf, Germany, February 21, 2020
- SphingoTec GmbH (“sphingotec”) today announced that novel data on its acute care biomarkers Proenkephalin (penKid®) and Dipeptidyl Peptidase 3 (DPP3) will be presented at the 25th International Conference on Advances in Critical Care Nephrology (AKI & CRRT 2020) taking place in San Diego, CA, USA, on February 24-27, 2020.
AKI & CCRT 2020 Presentations on penKid® and DPP3
In the scientific program of the conference, clinical researchers will present the latest results from studies investigating these two critical care biomarkers and their utility in diagnosing kidney injury. In a session on translating biomarker discoveries to clinical care, Peter Pickkers (Radboud University | RU · Department of Intensive Care, Nijmegen, The Netherlands) will present data demonstrating that sphingotec’s kidney function marker penKid® is a reliable surrogate for assessing true glomerular filtration rate (true GFR) in patients with renal insufficiency. Previous studies demonstrated that penKid® is a real-time kidney function biomarker, which is independent of inflammation and other co-morbidities. In another session, Matthieu Legrand (University of California, San Francisco | UCSF · Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, USA) will provide evidence showing that sphingotec’s biomarker DPP3 is one cause for short-term kidney dysfunction and is highly associated with the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with severe burns. Being at the core of a newly discovered disease mechanism, DPP3 has been shown to play a causal role in short-term organ dysfunction when released into the bloodstream upon massive cell death in several acute and critical care conditions.
Sphingotec Symposium at AKI & CCRT 2020
In a symposium organized by sphingotec titled “Relevant Pathways, Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Acute Organ Dysfunction” leading clinical researchers will further discuss pathways leading to acute organ dysfunctions in critically ill patients as well as a novel diagnostic solution to assess the involvement of such pathways in acute and critical care conditions. Beyond providing an overview of novel biomarkers for monitoring kidney function, endothelial function, and DPP3-mediated heart and kidney dysfunction, the speakers will also share findings that are qualifying these biomarkers as biotargets.
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Oral Presentations at AKI & CRRT 2020
Session: Bench to Bedside: Translating Discoveries to Clinical Care, February 24, 2020
“Proenkephalin: Is it the New GFR Marker?” presented by Peter Pickkers (Radboud University | RU · Department of Intensive Care)
Session: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI): Pathophysiology, February 25, 2020
“DPP3 in Critical Illness: Another Piece of the Puzzle” presented by Matthieu Legrand (University of California, San Francisco | UCSF · Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care)
Poster Presentation at AKI & CRRT 2020
Title: Proenkephalin, a Novel Biomarker for Kidney Function, is Earlier in Detecting Acute Kidney Injury Compared to Creatinine.
Authors R Beunders, M Meekes, J Struck, P Pickkers
Title: Proenkephalin Predicts Renal Dysfunction, Organ Failures, Renal Replacement Therapy, and Mortality in Sepsis
Authors H Kim, M Hur, J Struck, A Bergmann, S Di Somma
Title: penKid Proenkephalin A 119–159 effectively predicts Acute Kidney Injury, Multiple Organ Failure, Mortality particularly among septic patients at the ER with seemingly intact renal function
Authors M Rosenqvist, K Bronton, O Hartmann, A Bergmann, J Struck & O Melander
About sphingotec
SphingoTec GmbH ("sphingotec"; Hennigsdorf near Berlin, Germany) develops and markets innovative in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for novel and proprietary biomarkers for the diagnosis, prediction and monitoring of acute medical conditions, such as sepsis, acute heart failure, circulatory shock, and acute kidney injury in order to support patient management and provide guidance for treatment strategies. sphingotec's proprietary biomarker portfolio includes Bioactive Adrenomedullin (bio-ADM®), a unique biomarker for real-time assessment of endothelial function in conditions like sepsis or congestive heart failure, Proenkephalin (penKid®), a unique biomarker for real-time assessment of kidney function, and Dipeptidyl Peptidase 3 (DPP3), a unique biomarker for cardio-renal pathway disruptions leading to acute organ dysfunction. In addition, sphingotec develops a portfolio of novel biomarkers, which predict the risks of developing obesity, breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases. IVD tests for sphingotec’s proprietary biomarkers are made available as sphingotest® microtiterplate tests as well as point-of-care tests on the Nexus IB10 immunoassay platform by sphingotec’s subsidiary Nexus Dx Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA) alongside a broad menu of IB10 tests for established biomarkers for acute and critical care.
In a prospective, real-world study of 1,436 critically ill ICU patients, proenkephalin A 119–159 (penKid) provided clinically relevant information across AKI severity and during kidney replacement therapy (KRT). PenKid addressed a key unmet need in KRT management by identifying, with greater precision than standard biomarkers, patients at high risk of KRT liberation failure – helping to avoid stopping therapy too early. The findings support a future role for penKid in helping to standardize one of the few intensive care processes where the need for better decision support is widely acknowledged and current tools remain insufficient. Hennigsdorf, Germany – August 27, 2026 – SphingoTec GmbH announces the publication of new real-world data on proenkephalin A 119–159 (penKid) in critically ill patients. The data, published in Annals of Intensive Care, add to the growing body of evidence supporting penKid as a functional biomarker for kidney function and help inform clinical decision-making in AKI and KRT (1). In a prospective observational study at Heidelberg University Hospital, penKid was measured in 1,436 critically ill patients, including 138 patients receiving KRT for liberation analyses. The findings showed that penKid rose with AKI severity and, unlike serum creatinine and urine output, distinguished stage 3 AKI patients with and without an acute KRT requirement. In contrast to serum creatinine, penKid also differentiated acute KRT patients from those with pre-existing kidney failure and on chronic hemodialysis prior ICU admission, even while KRT treatment was ongoing (1). The study further showed that penKid levels increased progressively from the start of KRT, while serum creatinine decreased under treatment. Following successful liberation from KRT, penKid declined, whereas higher levels were seen in cases of liberation failure. In multivariable analysis, penKid was the strongest independent predictor of liberation failure and outperformed serum creatinine. A penKid cut-off of ≥250 pmol/L provided more than 90% specificity for liberation failure (1). By identifying patients at high risk of unsuccessful liberation, penKid may help clinicians make KRT discontinuation decisions more objectively, reduce the risk of stopping therapy too early, and support more standardized decision-making across critical care settings. “These data are important because they address a real-world clinical problem: how to better assess kidney function and support KRT decisions when standard markers fall short,” said Deborah Bergmann, CEO of SphingoTec. “penKid provides clinicians with an objective, real-time measurable parameter that may help support more informed and consistent kidney-related decisions in critical care.” Christian Nusshag, MD, Department of Nephrology, Heidelberg University Hospital, said: “Current markers often leave clinicians with an incomplete picture. Our findings suggest that penKid may help standardize decision-making by providing additional, actionable information on kidney integrity and recovery.” About penKid, scientific insights PenKid is a biomarker that enables real-time assessment of kidney function. Unlike conventional markers such as serum creatinine, penKid levels are not influenced by inflammation or other confounding factors like age or sex. Studies have shown that penKid allows earlier detection of AKI, predicting changes in serum creatinine up to 48 hours before conventional diagnostic criteria are met. This early detection capability is particularly valuable in critically ill patients, including those with sepsis or septic shock. Additionally, penKid has shown potential for monitoring renal recovery under KRT and could help predict successful liberation from KRT. About SphingoTec SphingoTec GmbH ("SphingoTec"; Hennigsdorf near Berlin, Germany) is a biomarker company focusing on the out-licensing of innovative critical care solutions for diagnosing, predicting, and monitoring acute medical conditions. SphingoTec develops its biomarkers to the commercial stage and partners with IVD companies to make them available on different IVD platforms. SphingoTec's proprietary biomarker portfolio includes Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid), a biomarker for the assessment of kidney function in critical diseases, and bioactive Adrenomedullin 1-52 (bio-ADM), a biomarker for the assessment of endothelial function in conditions like acute heart failure. Discover more on www.sphingotec.com References (1) Gabriel DC, Sauer P, Happel R, et al. Proenkephalin A for Assessing Kidney Integrity and Guiding KRT Liberation Decisions in Critically Ill Patients. Annals of Intensive Care. 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.aicoj.2026.100113. Media Contact: Email: press@sphingotec.com Phone +49-3302-20565-0 SphingoTec GmbH Neuendorfstr. 15A 16761 Hennigsdorf, Germany
Hennigsdorf, Germany – August 19, 2026 – Over the coming months, SphingoTec will be present at a series of leading conferences in diagnostics and critical care medicine. These engagements reflect the company’s ongoing commitment to advancing biomarker-driven solutions that support earlier and more precise clinical decision-making in acute and critical care settings. The company’s conference schedule includes: DGAI (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin), September 16-18, 2026, Kassel, Germany Kongress für Nephrologie 2026 (DGFN / Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nephrologie), October 08-11, 2026, Leipzig, Germany ESICM Lives, October 10-14, 2026, Lisbon, Portugal – SphingoTec will co-host a Scientific Symposium together with business partner Boditech, focusing on innovations in sepsis diagnostics. In parallel, new clinical data on penKid in a multicenter sepsis study will be presented as a poster at the ESICM congress. ASN Kidney Week 2026, Denver, CO, USA, October 22–25, 2026 – penKid takes center stage in the poster sessions with the abstract “Proenkephalin Predicts Severe AKI in High-Risk Patients” Medica, November 16-19, 2026, Düsseldorf, Germany – Focus on expanding SphingoTec’s international industry network and advancing partnering opportunities for its biomarker portfolio. DIVI (Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin), December 2-4, 2026, Hamburg, Germany “These events bring together clinicians, researchers, and industry partners who share our goal of improving outcomes for patients in critical care,” said Deborah Bergmann, CEO of SphingoTec. “By presenting our latest data and engaging in direct dialogue, we aim to strengthen collaborations that translate biomarker innovation into real clinical value.” About SphingoTec SphingoTec GmbH ("SphingoTec"; Hennigsdorf near Berlin, Germany) is a biomarker company focusing on the out-licensing of innovative critical care solutions for diagnosing, predicting, and monitoring acute medical conditions. SphingoTec develops its biomarkers to the commercial stage and partners with IVD companies to make them available on different IVD platforms. SphingoTec's proprietary biomarker portfolio includes Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid), a biomarker for the assessment of kidney function in critical diseases, and bioactive Adrenomedullin 1-52 (bio-ADM), a biomarker for the assessment of endothelial function in conditions like acute heart failure. Discover more on www.sphingotec.com Media Contact: Email: press@sphingotec.com Phone +49-3302-20565-0 SphingoTec GmbH Neuendorfstr. 15A 16761 Hennigsdorf, Germany