sphingotec’s proprietary biomarker bio-ADM® detects residual congestion in patients with heart failure
- Data from more than 1,200 patients of the PROTECT study demonstrate that high levels of the endothelial function biomarker bio-ADM® (bioactive Adrenomedullin) indicate residual congestion of heart failure patients.
- Endothelial dysfunction, indicated by high bio-ADM® levels, leads to fluid leakage from blood vessels and ultimately resulting in tissue congestion.
- With 25% of heart failure patients being readmitted to hospitals due to acute decompensation, bio-ADM® is the only biomarker whose measurements can guide therapy with diuretics and support more informed decisions on discharging patients from hospitals.
Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany, December 16, 2019
- Diagnostics company SphingoTec GmbH (sphingotec) today announced the publication of new study results in the European Journal of Heart Failure1 demonstrating that its proprietary endothelial function biomarker bio-ADM® reliably diagnoses tissue congestion and residual congestion. Residual congestion is a critical, yet highly under-diagnosed condition in heart failure patients often leading to complications after the patient was discharged from the hospital.
In more than 1,200 patients enrolled in the PROTECT study, high bio-ADM® plasma levels indicated insufficient response to diuretics and a substantially higher risk for short-therm rehospitalization and mortality. According to the principal investigator, Dr. Adrian Voors (University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands), the study data confirm bio-ADM® as a biomarker for tissue congestion that complements BNP as a biomarker for cardiac wall stress.
Specifically, the PROTECT study results show that bio-ADM® is the only biomarker that allows identification of residual congestion and the need for continued therapeutic intervention with diuretics.
About 95% of patients with acute heart failure show fluid overload and tissue congestion with lung edema as the most fatal complication. Previous clinical data from more than 20,000 patients have demonstrated that bio-ADM® plasma levels specifically indicate endothelial function independent of inflammation and other co-morbidities2-3. High bio-ADM® levels indicate distortions in the barrier function of the endothelium causing fluid leakage into tissue. Today, 25% of acute heart failure patients discharged from hospitals are readmitted within 30 days, mostly because of residual congestion with subclinical manifestation at the time of discharge. By measuring the levels of bio-ADM® in blood it becomes possible to assess congestion status and identify patients with residual congestion that are in need of further intervention measures. This may considerably reduce the risk of complications after the patient is discharged and decrease the need for readmission to the hospital. Hence, a diagnostic test for bio-ADM® that indicates subclinical residual congestion may improve the quality of care and patient outcomes while reducing costs associated with readmission.
“These study results confirm that bio-ADM® is a biomarker for endothelial function, which allows physicians to identify patients with residual congestion,” said Dr. Andreas Bergmann, founder and CEO of sphingotec. “By providing diagnostic tools that support a more informed management of heart failure patients we achieve another milestone in our strategy to fight mortality in critically ill patients”.
sphingotec develops novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of critical care conditions and makes them available as rapid tests on its point-of-care immunoassay analyzer, Nexus IB10. The CE-IVD-marked IB10 assay for bio-ADM® will be launched mid-2020. The IB10 sphingotest® bio-ADM® test complements a recently introduced IB10 assay for DPP3, a protein whose elevated blood levels are a major cause for loss of heart and kidney function. Future launches of Nexus IB10 tests also include in early 2020 the assay for penkid®, a novel biomarker for the real-time assessment of kidney function. In addition to the assays for sphingotec’s properitary biomarkers, the IB10 platfrom features a broad menu of routine tests for critical care and other conditions that benefit from rapid testing in near-patient settings.
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References
1.Pandhi (2019): The clinical value of pre-discharge bio-adrenomedullin as a marker of residual congestion and high risk of heart failure hospital readmission. Eur J Heart Fail. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.1693
2.Voors et a. (2018) Adrenomedullin in heart failure pathophysiology and therapeutic application. Eur J Heart Fail. doi:10.1002/ejhf.1366
3.Ter Maaten J. et al., (2019): Bio-adrenomedullin as a marker of congestion in patients with new-onset and worsening heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.1437
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 acute heart failure, circulatory shock, and acute kidney injury in order to support patient management and provide guidance for treatment strategies. sphingotec's assay portfolio includes sphingotest® bio-ADM® the assay for bioactive adrenomedullin, a unique biomarker for real-time assessment of endothelial function in conditions like sepsis or congestive heart failure, sphingotest® penKid®, the assay for proenkephalin, a unique biomarker for real-time assessment of kidney function and IB10 sphingotest® DPP3, an assay for Dipeptidyl Peptidase 3, a unique biomarker for signaling pathway disruptions leading to acute organ dysfunction. Along with the Nexus IB10 POC platform by its subsidiary Nexus Dx Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA) acquired from Samsung in 2018, sphingotec markets a portfolio of established and novel biomarkers for acute care. In addition, sphingotec developed a portfolio of novel biomarkers, which predict the risks of obesity, breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
About bio-ADM®
As a marker of endothelial function, bio-ADM® enables both prediction of circulatory shock before blood pressure decline, e.g. in septic patients, and diagnosis of residual congestion in acute heart failure patients.
• 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