SphingoTec, BHR Pharmaceuticals ink agreement for distribution of SphingoTec’s acute care portfolio in the UK and Ireland
- BHR specializes in innovative diagnostic solutions for point of care
- Collaboration focuses on SphingoTec’s proprietary assays for bio-ADM®, penKid® and DPP3
- Investigator-initiated study in COVID-19 at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital and King's College Hospital NHS Trust
Warwickshire, United Kingdom and Hennigsdorf, Germany, September 29, 2020
- BHR Pharmaceuticals Ltd (“BHR”) and SphingoTec GmbH (“SphingoTec”) today announced that they have signed a distribution agreement for the commercialization of SphingoTec’s portfolio of diagnostics solutions in acute and critical care in UK and Ireland.
The collaboration in particular focuses on the UK market introduction of SphingoTec’s point-of-care tests for novel and proprietary biomarkers in critical care targeting diagnostically underserved conditions such as sepsis, acute heart failure, acute kidney injury, and recently severe COVID-19. These products include tests for bio-ADM®, penKid®, and DPP3 allowing for the early diagnosis and monitoring of endothelial dysfunction, kidney dysfunction, and cardiac depression, respectively. The tests are made available on SphingoTec’s Nexus IB10 platform, a fully automated rapid immunoassay point-of-care instrument, that provides accurate test results within only 20 minutes and can be flexibly deployed in laboratories, emergency departments, intensive care units, and doctors’ offices.
Established in 1990, BHR has grown to become a UK market leader in the provision of point-of-care diagnostics. BHR specializes in sourcing new advanced and progressive technology from around the world and delivering these innovative products to the UK market. Bharat Vadukul, Director of BHR commented “BHR is delighted to be appointed exclusive distribution partners for the Nexus IB10 system in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This product further strengthens the strategic fit with our existing product portfolio. With the Nexus IB10 system, BHR’s comprehensive package of Point-of-Care testing devices will enhance the ability of Specialists in the Renal and Cardiology sectors to better manage their patients, saving lives and improve their all-important quality of life.”
Dr. Andreas Bergmann, CEO of SphingoTec, echoes those sentiments. He noted, “We are very much looking forward to our collaboration with BHR who have been very successful in promoting the IB10 platform in the past. We also believe that they are excellent strategic partners for providing rapid and novel solutions needed by clinicians in managing critically ill patients and will support us in our long-term strategy to improve patient outcomes in acute and critical care conditions.”
To address the specific challenges provided by COVID-19 in the UK, the companies collaborate with Dr. Marlies Ostermann, MD, Ph.D. at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital/London, United Kingdom, who initiated a two-center study also including King's College Hospital NHS Trust to further investigate the added value of SphingoTec’s biomarkers in developing individualized management strategies for severely ill COVID-19 patients(1). Dr. Ostermann commented: “There is an urgent need to assess and monitor organ function of COVID-19 patients in real-time. After a first positive evaluation of these novel biomarkers, we have decided to further investigate their use in clinical practice in delivering information on the underlying pathogenesis in patients with COVID-19. “
To discover more about the Nexus IB10 and SphingoTec’s portfolio of diagnostic solutions for acute and critical care, please visit sphingotec.com. For more information on the BHR Pharmaceuticals portfolio, please visit www.bhr.co.uk
(1) clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04408365
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 cardiac depression. 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 established and commonly used tests for acute and critical care.
About BHR Pharmaceuticals
BHR Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a market leading company in the field of point-of-care diagnostics within healthcare, moving appropriate tests from the lab closer to the patient to better manage and treat people. This helps shorten patient pathways, improves the patient experience, and improves efficiency for doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. BHR has challenges the conventions of laboratory medicine by showing that point-of-care diagnostics save time, money and improves health.
Contact
SphingoTec GmbH
Ruxandra Lenz
Sr. Manager Marketing and Communications
Neuendorfstr. 15 A
16761 Hennigsdorf
Germany
Tel. +49-3302-20565-0
press@sphingotec.de
www.sphingotec.com
• New ELISA sphingotest® penKid® enables widespread measurement of the kidney function biomarker Proenkephalin 119-159 (penKid) using standard laboratory equipment. • Only available test to match SphingoTec’s reference chemiluminescence assay, developed with patented high-sensitivity technology to provide consistent results across platforms. Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany, April 28 2026 - SphingoTec GmbH announces the launch of the ELISA sphingotest® penKid®, a new assay designed to make testing of its proprietary biomarker broadly accessible to research laboratories and pharmaceutical partners. Providing ease-of-use and precision, the test facilitates large-scale investigations of human kidney function in both acute and broader clinical research contexts. Responding to growing research interest The launch follows increasing demand from the scientific community to study penKid - a biomarker reflecting the current state of kidney function in critical care environments. While SphingoTec’s high-sensitivity sphingotest® penKid® assay serves as the reference method for clinical research and third-party IVD assays, the assay technology requiring dedicated equipment was not easily adoptable in research laboratories. The new ELISA sphingotest® penKid® now allows researchers worldwide to benefit from SphingoTec’s patented detection technology using standard photometers, extending penKid testing capability to a wider range of laboratories. Proven performance and data continuity The ELISA sphingotest® penKid® has been developed to achieve excellent correlation with SphingoTec’s reference chemiluminescence assay, ensuring consistent, high-quality results across different assay platforms. Both methods share the same underlying technology capable of detecting penKid concentrations in the picomolar range. Thanks to this technology transfer, researchers can rely on the same analytical precision and reliability that supported the clinical studies establishing penKid as a valuable kidney function biomarker. The assay’s robust design and German manufacturing ensure durable consistency and reproducibility. With this research-use ELISA, SphingoTec responds to the increasing availability of non-validated assays and encourages researchers to not compromise assay quality and performance to ensure trustworthy results - since data from non-validated tests may reflect assay limitations rather than the true performance of the penKid biomarker. Complementary approaches for clinical use and scientific exploration SphingoTec pursues its commercial strategy for the biomarker penKid through strategic out-licensing partnerships such as Boditech Med, which has developed an IVDR-certified assay for routine clinical use and rapid diagnostics. The newly launched ELISA sphingotest® penKid® represents a complementary initiative, specifically designed to support high-throughput clinical and translational research. Through this dual approach, SphingoTec reaffirms its commitment to fostering scientific collaboration and promoting the broader exploration of penKid across diverse research settings. “Developing the ELISA sphingotest® penKid® reflects our long-term commitment to improving critical care diagnostics,” said Deborah Bergmann, Managing Director and CEO of SphingoTec GmbH. “Beyond its currently validated clinical applications, we see strong potential for penKid to support research and improve diagnostics in other fields where kidney function is relevant. By encouraging scientists worldwide to incorporate penKid into their studies and clinical programs, we aim to accelerate innovation and advance best-fit diagnostic solutions that ultimately improve patient care.” 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 sepsis. Discover more on www.sphingotec.com Media Contact: Email: press@sphingotec.com Phone +49-3302-20565-0 SphingoTec GmbH Neuendorfstr. 15A 16761 Hennigsdorf, Germany
• PenKid surpasses serum creatinine on Day 1 post-transplant in detecting delayed graft function (DGF), with an AUROC of 0.87 versus 0.56 for creatinine. • PenKid differentiates slow graft function (SGF) from DGF up to 8 days earlier than current methods, supporting more timely clinical decisions. • PenKid levels remain unaffected by kidney replacement therapy (KRT), allowing for more accurate assessment of kidney function. • Independent validation in transplant cohort from Australia confirms performance and broad applicability. Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany, July 1, 2025 - Diagnostic company SphingoTec GmbH (“SphingoTec”) announces a landmark study (1) published in Transplant International, led by Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany in collaboration with researchers from Sydney, Australia, which identifies Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid) as a reliable biomarker for early and precise assessment of graft function trajectories following kidney transplantation. The research demonstrates that PenKid not only identifies patients at risk for DGF significantly earlier than traditional markers but also distinguishes between slow and delayed graft function with remarkable accuracy, offering clinicians a valuable new tool for patient management. The study prospectively evaluated 159 consecutive kidney transplant recipients at Heidelberg University Hospital and validated findings in an independent cohort from Sydney. PenKid consistently outperformed serum creatinine (SCr) in predicting graft function trajectories, particularly in the critical early post-transplant period. Notably, PenKid’s ability to remain unaffected by KRT—a treatment for severe kidney dysfunction—further sets it apart from SCr, which can be influenced by non-renal factors and KRT itself, thereby enhancing the reliability of graft function assessment. Multivariate analysis confirmed PenKid as the strongest independent predictor of both short-term graft function and 30-day outcomes, underscoring its clinical utility for early risk stratification. The biomarker’s superior granularity allows for nuanced classification of DGF severity, supporting more informed decisions regarding the initiation of dialysis or biopsy and offering potential for individualized patient care. With these findings, penKid steps forward as a practical addition to the transplant clinician’s toolkit, promising to sharpen decision-making for optimal outcomes. Its adoption could help transplant teams act with greater confidence and precision, ultimately strengthening the standard of care in kidney transplantation. ## References 1. Benning L et al. (2025) Proenkephalin A 119-159 in Kidney Transplantation: A Novel Biomarker for Superior Tracking of Graft Function Trajectories. Transpl. Int. 38:14366. doi: 10.3389/ti.2025.14366 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, commercially available on diagnostic platforms AFIAS and Nexus IB10 and bioactive Adrenomedullin 1-52 (bio-ADM), a biomarker for the assessment of endothelial function in conditions like sepsis. Discover more on www.sphingotec.com Contact : Ruxandra Lenz Marketing and Communication SphingoTec GmbH Phone +49-3302-20565-0 Email: press@sphingotec.com