Diagnosing heart failure with extended VIDAS® Galectin-3 Menu

bioMérieux has further extended its VIDAS cardiovascular disease test menu with the release of the VIDAS Galectin-3 kit, an automated enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA) for the determination of galectin-3 in human serum or plasma. Galectin-3 mediated heart failure (HF) is a common, inherently progressive form of HF, with a high mortality comparable to invasive cancers. Elevated blood levels of galectin-3 have been shown to predict the future development of heart failure in asymptomatic or at risk individuals, complementing other HF biomarkers by providing an indication of the myocardial fibrotic state, ventricular adverse remodelling, and progression of cardiomyopathy. Identification of high-risk patients is vital, enabling appropriate treatment to be initiated and effective use and management of medical resources.

VIDAS Galectin-3 is a quantitative, one-step sandwich assay with fluorescence detection, designed for use with the VIDAS automated immunoassay system. All stages of the assay are performed automatically by the instrument, calculating the concentration of galectin-3 relative to a stored calibration curve and enabling patients to be assigned as low, intermediate or high risk of Galectin-3 mediated HF. Correct assay performance and validation of results is ensured by analysis of the control sample included in the kit. Used in conjunction with clinical evaluation, VIDAS Galectin-3 is a valuable prognostic tool for assessing patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure.