Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) is expressed in unstable atherosclerotic plaques and PAPP-A has been proposed to be a marker of unstable plaques. PAPP-A is a protase that cleaves insulin-like growth factor binding-protein-4 (IGFBP-4) and therefore increased concentrations of IGFBP-4-fragments in blood cir-culation could serve as a read out of increased PAPP-A activity in plaques. HyTest has developed two proprietary assays for measurement of N- and C-terminal IGFBP-4 fragments and preliminary results from clinical studies show that IGFBP-fragments are potential new markers for major acute cardiac event (MACE) prediction.
Research Courtesy of HyTest