Abstract

Measuring coagulation activation, including thrombin generation, is useful in a number of clinical conditions. McMaster researchers have developed a novel method and class of substrates to do this using whole blood, for instance from a finger prick, using conventional fluorescence equipment.

Applications

• Generate a point-of-care thrombin generation curve in the absence of anticoagulants in whole blood. Thrombin generation curves are known to be altered in different disease states
• This novel method can be used as a point-of-care test for the presence of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs), namely rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran in blood
• Detect disorders of coagulation at point-of-care
• Screen for inhibitors of coagulation in whole blood

Advantages

• Ability to monitor thrombin generation in whole blood
• Detect thrombin generation without a correction of alpha-2-macroglobulin bound thrombin
• This invention allows one to detect for the presence of new oral anticoagulants in whole blood within 15 minutes of a finger-prick, which is a novel, unique and valuable feature. There is a great need to detect NOACs at the point-of-care in endoscopy suites, emergency rooms, dentist’s offices, pre-op settings, cardiologist’s offices and internal medicine or family medicine offices
• Ability to detect presence of direct factor Xa and direct thrombin inhibitors
• Point-of-care test