Proteomics diabetes test gives hope to indigenous Aussies

Perth-based Proteomics International Laboratories has revealed promising new clinical results demonstrating that its PromarkerD blood test effectively predicts diabetic kidney disease (DKD) risk in indigenous Australians with type 2 diabetes.

A peer-reviewed study, published in the Internal Medicine Journal, has analysed data from 1081 adults with diabetes in the Fremantle Diabetes Study Phase II. The study included 71 Aboriginal participants who, as a population, face disproportionately high rates of the condition.

PromarkerD is a validated blood test that can predict DKD up to four years before clinical symptoms appear, helping doctors make earlier, informed treatment decisions to improve outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes-related chronic kidney disease (DKD) is a serious complication arising from diabetes, which, if unchecked, can lead to dialysis or a kidney transplant. Proteomic’s PromarkerD is a test that predicts future decline in kidney function in patients with type 2 diabetes without existing DKD.

The company’s patented PromarkerD test uses a simple blood test to detect a unique signature of early-onset disease. The test measures a discrete panel of protein and clinical biomarkers, before an algorithm integrates the results into a patient risk report.

‘Aboriginal people bear a disproportionately high burden of diabetes.’

In clinical studies published in leading journals, PromarkerD has accurately predicted up to 86 per cent of otherwise healthy diabetics, who then went on to develop kidney disease within four years.

The latest study found that Proteomics’ next-generation PromarkerD test showed statistically similar predictive accuracy in Indigenous test subjects compared with non-Aboriginal participants.

Significantly, the test also proved a fillip for ruling out patients who are not at risk, with a high negative predictive value exceeding 85 per cent. This outcome may help clinicians prioritise preventive care and optimise limited healthcare resources.

Proteomics International Laboratories managing director Dr Richard Lipscombe said, “Aboriginal people bear a disproportionately high burden of diabetes and DKD, often with earlier onset and faster progression - raising both the need and the potential benefit for better prognostic tests validated in these communities.”

Professor Tim Davis, a consultant physician and endocrinologist at Fremantle Hospital, noted that a reliable test such as PromarkerD can help clinicians focus preventive care where it is needed most and that it offers a significant opportunity to improve chronic disease management in remote and regional Indigenous communities.

In Australia, the burden of DKD is around seven times higher for indigenous than for non-Indigenous Australians.

PromarkerD, which is now available to type-2 diabetes patients nationwide, predicts kidney decline up to four years before symptoms appear, enabling earlier interventions.

The findings underscore the potential of PromarkerD to improve health outcomes in vulnerable communities, addressing a critical public health challenge with a non-invasive test through precisely targeted innovation.

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