A urine test to diagnose IC by has been developed by Sonia L. Planey, PhD, and her team at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The new, patent-pending test detects the presence of antiproliferative factor (APF), the urinary marker unique to IC patients discovered by Susan Keay MD, PhD, and her research team at the University of Maryland.  The test is said to take as little as 30 minutes and will be easier and less costly for patients than invasive cystoscopy with hydrodistention, often used to help diagnose IC.  The Commonwealth Medical College team plans to assess the accuracy and effectiveness of the test in patients.  Dr. Planey is Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in the Basic Sciences Department at this newly formed medical college.  Read more.

Posted July 24, 2009