Vivid Microscopy, an emerging biotech company in the United States, announced the successful use of its high content screening probe, SEMKUR-IM, in a study conducted by the University of Louisville on coronary microvascular disease (CMD) in post-menopausal women. 

A disease impacting over three million women yearly, microvascular dysfunction often presents with chest pain and shortness of breath, which can lead to heart failure. The current method of detection is through an angiogram or a specialized form of ultrasound. Early detection of the microvascular dysregulation signal is critical—if left undetected, it can lead to heart failure or a massive heart attack.

In experiments by the University of Louisville published in Antioxidant & Redox Signaling, scientists looked at four different conditions of cells and used various indicators to assess each state. Vivid’s probe was unique in that it could detect all stages of CMD (with minimal standard deviation) impacting blood supply to the heart. Using fluorescent technology, the SEMKUR-IM tool was able to differentiate the severity of the condition from initial stages to the most extreme, as well as assess the effectiveness of drugs targeted to treat the condition.

“Vivid Microscopy’s product was the only technology we were able to find that can detect glutathione in living cells. SEMKUR-IM was the only product that could be made up in our physiologic salt solution and then infused. Most other fluorescent products required cell or tissue fixation first, which wouldn’t allow us to study in real time how glutathione levels change during response to stimuli such as intraluminal fluid flow or drug agonists,” says Evan Tracy. MD, of the University of Louisville, working under the direction of Dr. Amanda LeBlanc.

The University of Louisville’s study has demonstrated how Vivid’s probe can be used to ascertain the effectiveness of new cardiovascular treatments.

“These methods provide an opportunity to greatly improve a patient’s quality of life while decreasing rates of mortality, thereby making SEMKUR-IM an invaluable tool for the development of drugs and interventions that address heart disease,” says Jayson Kurfis, CEO of Vivid Microscopy.

Scientists, researchers, and the medical community can now purchase these pre-clinical evaluation tools at kerafast.com.