Crescent Diagnostics is developing a new prognostic test for hip fracture risk called BQT®. Our technique involves analyzing a small toenail sample in the lab using Raman Spectroscopy. The protein structure of the nail is used as a surrogate marker for fracture risk, based on data derived from high quality clinical studies. We are currently conducting further clinical trials and developing a fully automated instrument, intended for use by reference labs.

The starting point for Crescent’s research was an anecdotal observation from osteoporosis patients that their nails improved in strength and appearance following medication for the disease. Crescent’s co-founder, Dr Mark Towler, decided to investigate further, and a small pilot trial suggested that the nails of those with osteoporosis did indeed have different mechanical properties from healthy controls. What was even more interesting was that Raman spectroscopy analyses showed differences in the protein structures between the two sets of nails, suggesting a possible link between the protein content of the nail and bone health.

In order to investigate this further, Crescent went on to confirm this link between nail structure and bone fragility in a number of clinical studies, including one using samples from a Harvard University study.

Our development activities are based at the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute at Dublin City University, where we are focused on instrument development and clinical evaluation to secure FDA approval and the CE mark for our test. We are planning to make submissions for these regulatory approvals in late 2012 / early 2013.

To find out more about our plans and progress, or to suggest possible research or commercial collaborations, please contact us.