Sphingotec

22/09/2025

Dr Florian Uhle, Chief Medical Officer and managing director at SphingoTec, attended the official launch of the ADORABLE consortium on September 17th in Groningen. This exciting collaboration unites leading academic and industry partners to improve the qualification of donor organs using cutting-edge biomarkers and data-driven approaches, aiming to enhance outcomes in kidney transplantation.

The ADORABLE consortium, coordinated by University Medical Center Groningen and supported by the Dutch National Research Agenda, focuses on developing precise biomarker-based tools to better assess donor kidney quality before transplantation. This effort addresses a critical challenge, as a relevant proportion of organs will disqualify for transplantation and even if, nearly half of transplanted kidneys fail within ten years – partly due to limitations in current assessment methods.

Within this scope, Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid), a well-established functional biomarker, holds particular promise. Based on growing scientific evidence, penKid delivers rapid and real-time insights into kidney health, enabling earlier and more precise detection of acute kidney injury and functional changes compared to traditional markers. Recent studies in kidney transplant patients show penKid’s ability to predict delayed graft function - and its severity – days earlier than serum creatinine, helping clinicians to tailor interventions proactively.

Together, the ADORABLE consortium and innovative biomarkers like penKid aim to transform donor organ evaluation and post-transplant care, re-shaping pathways for a more personalized and effective treatment.

Learn more about the ADORABLE project here: https://adorable-consortium.org/

The ADORABLE Consortium advances kidney transplant outcomes through AI-based decision support tools using novel biomarkers and machine learning. We aim for clinical impact by 2035 with our vision of ‘one kidney for life’.

19/08/2025

🌟 New S3 Sepsis Guidelines Published 🌟
The updated S3 guidelines on sepsis prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and aftercare introduce important recommendations for kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in patients with sepsis and septic shock. They emphasize the timely initiation of KRT in cases of life-threatening disturbances in fluid balance, acid-base status, or electrolyte levels, and recommend flexibility in the choice of technique and dosing. https://register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/079-001

However, the guidelines also point to a notable gap — there is no specific recommendation on when to discontinue KRT. This decision remains a major clinical challenge in managing sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI).

This is where Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid), a functional biomarker, holds promise for supporting clinical decision-making in this context, based on growing scientific evidence. PenKid delivers real-time insights into kidney function dynamics, enabling earlier and more precise detection of AKI compared to traditional biomarkers. Its benefits include the ability to predict AKI onset, monitor progression, and assess kidney recovery, offering valuable support throughout the course of kidney function management in septic patients.

With the updated guidelines highlighting a gap on when to stop KRT, recent studies have shown that penKid levels can reflect renal recovery, helping clinicians identify the optimal timing to safely discontinue therapy. This evidence-based approach supports more personalized and effective care for patients with sepsis and AKI. Access the papers here: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/6/2602 and https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/20/10873 Stay tuned - more evidence to be released soon!

➡ Together, the guideline updates and innovative clinical tools like penKid pave the way for improved decision-making and patient outcomes in critical care.

07/08/2025

🔬 Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid): A Promising Biomarker for Early AKI Detection

The latest Intensive Care Medicine review (2025) highlights penKid as a next-generation functional biomarker for assessing kidney function in critically ill patients. Key insights from the review:
• Reflects real-time glomerular filtration rate (GFR), offering sensitive and rapid information.
• Detects early or subclinical acute kidney injury (AKI), even before changes in serum creatinine manifest.
• Predicts AKI development and poor outcomes in ICU patients, including in those undergoing renal replacement therapy.
• Independent of inflammation and other common confounders such as drugs and comorbidities
• Validated in large, multicenter cohorts referenced in the review, demonstrating its clinical performance.

The review places penKid as a valuable addition to the current AKI diagnostic toolbox for earlier diagnosis, enabling timely interventions for better long-term outcomes.

Read more in the paper https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-025-08015-8

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a heterogeneous syndrome that not only affects short-term morbidity and mortality but also influences long-term outcomes. AKI is part of acute kidney disease (AKD) that encompasses a range of different conditions and is characterized by a kidney dysfunction lasting 90 da...

30/07/2025

In the heart of Chicago, SphingoTec is connecting with peers at ADLM 2025, focusing on the latest approaches in diagnostic biomarkers for acute care.
🤝 Our Managing Directors, Deborah Bergmann and Florian Uhle, are engaging with industry leaders to deepen collaborations and explore opportunities that advance our commitment to improving critical care diagnostics.
At SphingoTec, we specialize in pioneering biomarker innovations that address urgent unmet needs in acute care conditions such as sepsis, acute kidney injury, and acute heart failure. Our portfolio of innovative biomarkers, including penKid and bio-ADM, delivers actionable insights to support timely clinical decisions and enhance patient management. These solutions align with our vision to close diagnostic gaps and develop meaningful innovations for healthcare.

Laboratory diagnostics play a fundamental role across nearly every step of patient care—guiding detection, informing clinical decisions, monitoring treatment, and shaping prevention strategies. Studies and policy analyses have recognized that access to effective diagnostics is critical for providing high-quality, timely care, especially in acute and critical care settings. Participation at ADLM enables us to engage internationally with partners who share our goal of advancing laboratory medicine innovation for critical care.

🌎 We look forward to strengthening existing relationships and exploring new collaborations to accelerate bringing our diagnostic biomarkers from development into clinical practice.