AHN Researchers Named ‘Inventor of the Year’ by the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Press Releases Autoimmunity Institute

PITTSBURGH - Together, Joseph Ahearn, MD, Chau-Ching Liu, MD, Ph.D., and Susan Manzi, MD, MPH, of the AHN Autoimmunity Institute have been named 'Inventor of the Year' by the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association (PIPLA). The award is given annually to scientists whose patented developments have made significant, positive contributions to society. PIPLA is one of the nation's oldest organizations dedicated to fostering collegial exchanges regarding the nuances and importance of intellectual property.

This AHN research team holds several patents for methods of identifying and monitoring autoimmune diseases, particularly lupus. Most notably, using a specialized technology known as CB-CAPs or 'Cell-Bound Complement Activation Products,' Dr. Ahearn, Dr. Manzi and Dr. Liu designed a first-of-its-kind blood test to help clinicians diagnose lupus with greater ease and accuracy. The CB-CAP platform has been the proprietary power of the AVISE test panel launched by Exagen, Inc. in 2012.

AVISE uses one blood sample from a patient to check for five distinct biomarkers that help to rule-in the diagnosis of lupus while ruling out other rheumatic diseases. It has been used by more than 4,000 health care providers, including the vast majority of board-certified rheumatologists in the U.S.

The novelty of this technology has been recognized with 10 U.S. patents, 22 foreign counterpart patents, several pending patent applications, and more than 70 manuscripts published by the inventors and numerous physician-scientists globally.

"The inventors' applications of CB-CAPs as biomarkers for aiding in the diagnosis of lupus represents a significant breakthrough in fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, including more rapid therapeutic interventions and significant cost savings across the health care continuum," said Keith Lejeune, senior vice president, AHN Research Institute. "Dr. Ahearn, Dr. Manzi and Dr. Liu are well-respected pioneers in the field of autoimmune disease research, and we are fortunate to have them here in the City of Pittsburgh and at AHN."

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the body. It is a chronic and complex disease with a variety of clinical manifestations that can impact many organs and can cause a range of symptoms including pain, rashes, fatigue, swelling in joints and fevers; particularly if left untreated for extended periods.

Despite there being more than 100 known autoimmune disease types, diagnoses have historically proven difficult given often wide-ranging symptoms, as well as lack of diagnostic tests to pinpoint disease types.

Established in 2018, the AHN Autoimmunity Institute is focused on advancing the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure of all autoimmune diseases through collaborative multi-specialty care, cutting-edge research, advocacy and education. The Institute is a national referral center offering multidisciplinary, coordinated care for patients with one or more complex autoimmune conditions.

"The AHN Autoimmunity Institute has created a fertile environment for expert diagnosticians and visionary investigators to collaborate and advance our capacity to understand, diagnose and care for patients with lupus and related diseases," said Dr. Ahearn. "We are honored to be recognized by PIPLA and look forward to launching our most promising diagnostics in the near future."

At the Autoimmunity Institute, Dr. Ahearn serves as chair and Dr. Liu as a senior scientist. Dr. Manzi is the chair of the AHN Medicine Institute, director of the Autoimmunity Institute's Lupus Center of Excellence and medical director for the Lupus Foundation of America's board of directors.

They were presented with the PIPLA award at an awards ceremony last evening in Pittsburgh. Pictured left to right is Kevin Katona (Highmark Health), Anthony Pisaro (Dinsmore), Dr. Sue Manzi, Dr. Joe Ahearn and Jim Singer (Fox Rothschild). Not pictured is Dr. Liu.

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