Beckman Coulter, Inc. have announced it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Research and Diagnostic Antibodies LLC (R&D Abs) for R&D Abs’ inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) monoclonal antibodies and patents. iNOS is an exciting new marker in blood that appears to be useful in the detection and management of patients at risk of developing sepsis, a serious medical condition.

Beckman Coulter intends to develop iNOS tests for use on all Beckman Coulter Access® systems, including the SYNCHRON LX®i 725 chemistry-immunoassay system and the high throughput UniCel™ DxI 800 immunoassay system. The company hopes to introduce these tests in 2005.

"The manufacture, sales and distribution of a new marker for sepsis can provide a diagnostic tool for a disease that is severely underserved. Most importantly, we have the opportunity to improve patient outcomes while reducing costs," said Mike Whelan, vice president of Beckman Coulter’s immunoassays and nucleic acid testing business center.

Sepsis is the body’s response to a blood-borne infection. Often the inflammatory response spirals out of control leading to organ failure, septic shock and death. Unfortunately, the early signs of sepsis, such as fever and elevated white blood cell count, are common to many less threatening conditions. Without sensitive and specific diagnostic tools, sepsis may not be recognized until it has progressed to a severe, life threatening stage. The New England Journal of Medicine recently identified sepsis as the second leading cause of death among patients in noncoronary intensive care units and the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States.