Simple laboratory test for diagnosing psoriasis and atopic dermatitis
The Challenge
Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are two common inflammatory skin diseases that can be difficult to distinguish using conventional diagnostic methods. In 10–50% of cases, misdiagnoses occur. At the same time, thanks to research findings over the past several years, doctors now have a range of highly specific treatment options at their disposal. The more specific the therapeutic approaches, the more important it is to identify the underlying molecular patterns of these diseases to apply targeted therapies. Since diagnostic methods lag behind therapeutic advances, a significant gap remains. Molecular diagnostics are urgently needed to prevent the prescription of expensive therapies that remain ineffective.
Our Solution
Dermagnostix, a spin-off from Helmholtz Munich, has developed a kind of “laboratory on a disk” that enables precise differentiation between the two skin diseases, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, at the molecular level. PsorX-LabDisk miniaturizes complex laboratory processes based on centrifugal microfluidic technology. The skin sample is processed fully automatically in the LabDisk Analyzer, from sample preparation to the software algorithm. The procedure involves inserting the skin sample into the LabDisk and placing the disk into the analyzer. A quantitative diagnostic result is available in around two hours.
How are we already benefiting from it today
PsorX-LabDisk is not yet a service offered by statutory health insurance providers. However, the product and the associated analysis tool, LabDisk-Analyzer, are already on the market. Laboratories that perform skin diagnostics already use it successfully. Dermagnostix is working to ensure that this diagnostic tool finds wider application. Furthermore, additional products are currently in development for other diagnostic applications in dermatology.
Psoriasis vs. Eczema: Molecular Diagnostics for Dermatopathologists | PsorX-LabDisk
