Out-licensing

Home Test Kit to Monitor Vitamin K Levels for Patients on Anticoagulants

Introduction/Background

While Vitamin K is needed for proper bone formation and blood clotting, patients taking anticoagulant medication need to be extremely cautious with their Vitamin K levels. Vitamin K body levels significantly interfere with blood thinners' action, making it very difficult to determine the right dosage. Not having the proper dose can lead to serious medical problems, such as thrombus formation or fatal haemorrhaging.

Aims/Hypothesis

There is a need for the development of a test to measure daily vitamin K level readings.

Research

University of Florida researchers have developed a convenient home test kit to monitor vitamin K levels for oral anticoagulation patients. The instrument measures the presence of certain antibodies that are directly proportional to the levels of vitamin K in the body. If these antibodies are present, a colour change will occur with an intensity directly proportional to their concentration. The instrument will read the colour change and a vitamin K value will be displayed. The convention protocol for determining the proper dosage of anticoagulants is essentially a trial and error process where a dosage is prescribed, coagulation is later tested, and dosage is altered to try to optimize a desired coagulation. However, because of the transient diet change, a patient's vitamin K levels may be higher than usual at that point in time. There is a need for a quick method to assess certain nutritional components of a patient's blood so that dosages of anticoagulants can be determined in an expedient manner. University of Florida researchers are seeking partners interested in further developing this convenient home test kit to monitor vitamin K levels for oral anticoagulation patients, making it easier for people to self-monitor their condition.

Conclusion

We have developed a home test kit to monitor vitamin K levels for oral anticoagulation patients.

Relevance/Opportunity

The University of Florida is seeking a company interested in commercializing a home test kit to monitor vitamin K levels for patients on anti blood clotting medication. Please contact quoting reference no. 11462.

Preclinical