Researchers have developed a blood test that can determine the risk of thrombosis in women, in order to assess whether someone is a candidate for the contraceptive pill or hormone treatment for menopause. The test, called ‘nAPCsr’, was developed by a team of QUALIblood, a spin-off from the University of Namur, and the department of pharmacy.
The blood test gives a score of 0 to 10, with a higher score indicating an increased risk of thrombosis. This is of great importance, as more than 22,000 cases of thrombosis are registered every year in Europe as a result of the use of the combined pill. Belgium even has two of these per day.
The university states that the blood test provides an “accurate, reliable and reproducible” result. This enables healthcare providers to more accurately tailor medical prescriptions to the right patients. The pharmaceutical sector is already using the test in the development of new contraceptives.
Cost price
Blood collection is done on medical prescription, and the costs for the blood test are approximately 50 euros, which are borne by the patient or the laboratory.
To make the test more widely available in the future, a partnership has been announced with a major player in in vitro diagnostics. This enables implementation on an automated platform and access to the European and global market. This can lead to lower costs and in some cases a contribution from the health insurance can be expected.
The blood test is the result of Laure Morimont’s doctoral research and builds on previous research by Jonathan Douxfils, CEO of QUALIblood and professor at the University of Namur, and his team.
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