In conjunction with The Ohio State University Research Foundation (OSURF), Vermillion developed a test for the diagnosis and clinical evaluation of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a blood disorder. This test focuses on the use of mass spectrometry to help physicians make the correct diagnosis, initiate timely treatment, evaluate response to therapy and predict the risk of recurrence in patients with TTP. Vermillion currently licenses the TTP assay to OSU for availability as a laboratory developed test.

TTP is a devastating blood disorder characterized by abnormally low levels of platelets, the formation of blood clots in the arterioles and capillaries of many organs, and neurological damage. Affecting approximately 1,000 people annually in the United States, TTP is life threatening in the absence of appropriate treatment, which is usually plasmapheresis, a process in which plasma is taken from donated blood.

Undertreatment can lead to increased mortality from the disease while overtreatment wastes precious resources. In addition, patients with TTP need to be monitored for clinical response to therapy. Since most cases of TTP arise from the deficiency or inhibition of a specific enzyme called ADAMTS13, Vermillion’s test is designed to rapidly determine enzyme activity and currently outperforms other methodologies.