Beckman Coulter Diagnostics has joined the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP) as a strategic partner in the Bio-Hermes-002 study. This collaboration seeks to enhance the identification, diagnosis, and detection of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias through the analysis of blood-based and digital biomarkers. The Bio-Hermes-002 study is an observational platform designed to compare these biomarkers across a diverse range of clinical cognitive conditions, MRI and PET images, races, and ethnicities.
Focus on Diversity and Inclusion
Bio-Hermes-002, similar to Bio-Hermes-001, emphasizes improving participation from traditionally underrepresented communities in Alzheimer's research. The study is committed to ensuring that at least 25% of its participants are from these communities, setting a new standard for inclusivity in clinical research.
Beckman Coulter's Contribution
As a leader in healthcare assessments, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics will contribute biomarker test results to enrich the data generated by Bio-Hermes-002. This partnership will build on the findings of Bio-Hermes-001, expanding the evaluation of biomarkers to predict the accumulation of amyloid and tau in the brain, which are hallmark characteristics of Alzheimer's disease.
Expert Perspectives
John Dwyer, President of GAP, stated, "We welcome Beckman Coulter and the contribution their biomarker technologies will make to the Bio-Hermes-002 study. This study is essential for improving diagnostics for Alzheimer’s disease, and by leveraging Beckman Coulter’s expertise we expect to advance the field and create more equitable access to diagnostics and treatments for AD patients wherever they live."
Zivjena Vucetic, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, added, "The Bio-Hermes-002 study is an exciting opportunity to advance our understanding of diagnostic biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease from diverse ethnic, racial, and clinical cohorts. Specifically, access to Bio-Hermes-002's well-characterized samples will facilitate our development of a blood-based Alzheimer's disease test in concordance with gold standards for neurodegenerative testing, such as positron emissions tomography (PET) scanning, and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) analysis. With the rapid advancements in biomarker technologies, this study is positioned to provide invaluable insights into how blood-based biomarkers may reduce the number of AD trial screen failures, and facilitate identifying, monitoring, and potentially intervening in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease."
Data Management and Accessibility
Data from the Bio-Hermes-002 study will be securely stored on the AD Workbench from the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative. This cloud-based environment allows researchers to share, access, and analyze data across multiple platforms. After the study concludes, the data will be available to Alzheimer’s researchers worldwide through the Alzheimer’s Disease Discovery Initiative’s AD Workbench.
Collaborative Network
Beckman Coulter Diagnostics joins a growing list of partners in the Bio-Hermes-002 study, including Eli Lilly and Company, Biogen, Cognivue, Fujirebio, LifeArc, Linus Health, Lucent Diagnostics (a Quanterix brand), Sunbird Bio, ViewMind, AINOSTICS, Cambridge Cognition Limited, iLoF, and Cumulus Neuroscience Limited. These partners contribute blood-based biomarker assessments or digital assessments to the study.
