Bruker Launches NMR-based Molecular Phenomics Clinical Research Tool for ‘Long COVID’ Multi-Organ Risk Assessment

ETTLINGEN, Germany – July 6, 2022: Bruker Corporation (Nasdaq: BRKR) today has launched PhenoRisk PACS™ RuO*, a research-use-only NMR test for molecular phenomics research on ‘Long COVID’ patients’ blood samples, using a multiplexed combination of biomarkers discovered at the Australian National Phenome Center (ANPC) at Murdoch University, under Director Jeremy Nicholson. The PhenoRisk PACS™ RuO* test is promising for research on early-stage risk factors, on longitudinal recovery monitoring and on potential secondary organ damage in cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, kidney dysfunction and inflammation. It consists of an Avance™ IVDr** NMR spectroscopy system that is testing several biological mechanisms of action simultaneously in a 20-minute blood-test from SARS-CoV-2 acute infection survivors who suffer long-term sequelae, termed either Post-Acute COVID Syndrome (PACS), or commonly known as ‘Long COVID’ syndrome.

Recent publications have demonstrated that NMR is playing a pivotal role in measuring COVID-19 progression based on phenomic molecular signatures, and it is also providing new insights into various PACS mechanisms of action, as well as into Long COVID clinical management and treatment options. The PhenoRisk PACS™ RuO* test characterizes metabolic and proteomic biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 pathobiology, even in asymptomatic acute COVID cases, thereby enabling multi-organ risk assessment, recovery and therapeutic research in multiple Long COVID dysfunctions. 

This new NMR test has the potential to quantitatively discriminate PACS patients from healthy or fully recovered individuals by studying COVID-triggered pheno-conversion, defined as transient or persistent systemic change of the molecular signatures in human plasma samples after acute infection. Subsequent pheno-reversion of metabolic signatures detected by PhenoRisk PACS™ RuO* may indicate PACS recovery.

In addition to metabolism analytes, PhenoRisk PACS™ RuO* quantifies composite signals for groups of glycoproteins and phospholipids, which can indicate inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk, as well as a new NMR biomarker called Supramolecular Phospholipid Composite (SPC). These markers show excellent discrimination of COVID-19 from controls, while the Glyc/SPC ratio has been proposed as a useful molecular marker for Long COVID, which could significantly augment current clinical and therapeutic research.

PhenoRisk PACS™ RuO* expands Bruker’s offering for clinical research based on the company’s Avance™ IVDr** NMR platform, which already provides lipoprotein profiles (B.I.LISA) and quantification of small molecules in plasma and urine (B.I.QuantPS2.0, B.I.QuantUR1.1).

* Research use only
** Bruker NMR Instruments are for research Use Only. Not for Use in Clinical Diagnostic Procedures.