Sphingotec

27/08/2026

We are excited to announce the publication of new real-world data on proenkephalin A 119–159 (penKid) in critically ill patients. The data, published in Annals of Intensive Care, add to the growing body of evidence supporting penKid as a functional biomarker for kidney function and help inform clinical decision-making in AKI and KRT.
✅ In a prospective, real-world study of 1,436 critically ill ICU patients, penKid provided clinically relevant information across AKI severity and during kidney replacement therapy (KRT).
✅ PenKid addressed a key unmet need in KRT management by identifying, with greater precision than standard biomarkers, patients at high risk of KRT liberation failure – helping to avoid stopping therapy too early.
✅ The findings support a future role for penKid in helping to standardize one of the few intensive care processes where the need for better decision support is widely acknowledged and current tools remain insufficient.

👉Read more in the press release: https://www.sphingotec.eu/new-real-world-data-show-penkid-adding-decision-support-for-kidney-replacement-therapy-in-critical-care
👉 Read the full publication: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2110582026001482

19/08/2026

Over the coming months, SphingoTec will be present at a series of leading conferences in diagnostics and critical care medicine.

Conference schedule:
- DGAI (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin), September 16–18, 2026, Kassel, Germany
- Kongress für Nephrologie 2026 (DGFN), October 8–11, 2026, Leipzig, Germany
- ESICM Lives, October 10–14, 2026, Lisbon, Portugal – SphingoTec will co-host a Scientific Symposium with partner Boditech on innovations in sepsis diagnostics; new clinical data on penKid in a multicenter sepsis study will be presented as a poster.
- ASN Kidney Week 2026, October 22–25, 2026, Denver, CO, USA – penKid takes center stage in the poster sessions with the abstract “Proenkephalin Predicts Severe AKI in High-Risk Patients”.
- Medica, November 16–19, 2026, Düsseldorf, Germany – Focus on expanding SphingoTec’s international industry network and advancing partnering opportunities for its biomarker portfolio.
- DIVI (Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin), December 2–4, 2026, Hamburg, Germany

22/07/2026

A patient-level meta-analysis published in Critical Care examined whether proenkephalin A 119–159 (penKid) adds predictive value beyond serum creatinine (sCr) in sepsis and septic shock.
Pooling individual data from 2,203 patients across four independent studies, the analysis found:
✅ penKid was independently associated with worsening renal function (WRF) and 28-day mortality, regardless of sCr levels.
✅ Among patients with normal sCr at admission, those with elevated penKid showed markedly higher rates of WRF (27.1% vs. 11.1%) and 28-day mortality (38.6% vs. 15.3%) than patients with normal penKid.
✅ Combining penKid with sCr improved risk stratification beyond either marker alone.
Interested in implementing penKid in your clinical practice?
Contact your local distributor to learn how to access the AFIAS sphingotest® penKid®, an aid in the diagnosis of AKI in adult patients with sepsis or septic shock.

📄 Study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-026-05947-5
🛒 AFIAS sphingotest® penKid®: https://www.boditech.co.kr/en/product/reagents/id/1128

Monitoring kidney function in real-time to assess acute kidney injury (AKI)

16/07/2026

Accurately tracking graft function in the early days after kidney transplantation is critical for patient management — yet serum creatinine (SCr), the current standard, has known limitations in this window.
A study published in Transplant International, led by Heidelberg University Hospital which was validatedin an independent cohort from the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, evaluated proenkephalin A 119–159 (penKid) as a biomarker for tracking graft function trajectories in 159 kidney transplant recipients.
Key findings:
✅ On Day 1 post-transplant, penKid outperformed SCr in detecting delayed graft function (DGF): AUROC penKid 0.87 vs. SCr 0.56.
✅ penKid distinguished slow graft function from DGF up to 8 days earlier than current methods.
✅ Unlike SCr, penKid levels remain unaffected by kidney replacement therapy (KRT).
✅ Multivariate analysis confirmed penKid as the strongest independent predictor of short-term graft function and 30-day outcomes.
Translational and academic research groups investigating penKid can order the ELISA sphingotest® penKid® directly through our shop.
📄 Benning L, et al. Transpl Int. 2025;38:14366. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40475974/

🛒 ELISA sphingotest® penKid®: https://www.sphingotec.eu/product/ELISA-sphingotest-penKid
For Research Use Only.

Accurate assessment of graft function trajectories after kidney transplantation is essential for optimizing patient management. Slow graft function (SGF) and delayed graft function (DGF) are associated with impaired recovery, yet current diagnostic tools lack granularity for timely risk stratificati...

07/07/2026

Determining when to discontinue continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) remains a persistent challenge in critical care, with direct consequences for resource use and patient outcomes.
A prospective study from the Medical University of Vienna, investigated whether proenkephalin A 119–159 (penKid) could inform this decision in cardiac surgery patients with AKI, which affects up to 40% of elective cases.
Key findings:
✅ Patients successfully liberated from CRRT showed significantly lower penKid levels than those unsuccessfully liberated, most notably at the time of liberation.
✅ Results align with post-hoc analyses of the RICH and ELAIN trials, both linking penKid to kidney recovery and successful RRT liberation.
Research teams looking to investigate penKid in their own studies can access the ELISA sphingotest® penKid®, which runs on standard laboratory equipment, through our shop.
📄 Tichy J, et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(20):10873. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39456654/
🛒 ELISA sphingotest® penKid®: https://www.sphingotec.eu/product/ELISA-sphingotest-penKid For Research Use Only.

An acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most common complication following cardiac surgery, and can lead to the initiation of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). However, there is still insufficient evidence for when patients should be liberated from CRRT. Proenkephalin A 119-159 (PENK) is a no...

30/06/2026

Consistency matters in kidney biomarker research.

The ELISA sphingotest® penKid® delivers proven correlation to SphingoTec’s reference chemiluminescence assay, ensuring analytical continuity across platforms.

Developed and manufactured in Germany, this assay combines scientific rigor with reproducible performance you can trust — helping researchers avoid the pitfalls of non-validated tests.

Because reliable data fuels real discovery.

26/06/2026

We are happy to welcome Maria Schulze back to SphingoTec as R&D Associate.

In her role, Maria supports the development and optimization of biomarker assays, including experimental design, data analysis, and ensuring reliable laboratory operations in line with quality standards.

Maria brings valuable experience from her previous position as a Medical Technical Laboratory Assistant at Bausch + Lomb. We are especially pleased to welcome her back to SphingoTec, where she already contributed as an R&D Associate earlier in her career.

“Combining hands-on laboratory expertise with familiar processes enables me to contribute effectively to assay development and innovation.”

Welcome back, Maria—we are glad to have you with us!

25/06/2026

AFIAS Technology – Immunofluorescence for rapid, precise diagnostics.

The AFIAS sphingotest® penKid® leverages Boditech’s proprietary Time-Resolved Fluorescence Immunoassay:
• AFIAS 1: single-test workflow for immediate testing
• AFIAS 3: up to 3 tests simultaneously
• AFIAS 6: up to 6 tests simultaneously
• AFIAS 10: up to 10 tests simultaneously, with blood tube loading for streamlined laboratory workflow

The biomarker penKid is available on all platforms – a validated kidney function biomarker for critical care and routine monitoring.

Reliable results. Decentralized testing. Clinical confidence.

16/06/2026

SphingoTec will once again be attending this year’s Vicenza course, and we look forward to engaging with the international critical care community as in previous years.
Our Director Medical Affairs, Dr. Martina Kalle-Brune, will be on site to exchange insights on the latest developments in biomarker research and their application in clinical practice.
Vicenza remains an important platform for us to connect with leading experts, discuss emerging evidence, and further explore how innovative biomarker-based diagnostics can support improved patient management in critical care.
If you are attending, we would be pleased to connect and exchange perspectives.

14/05/2026

The AFIAS sphingotest® penKid® (IVDR-marked) supports the diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in adult patients with sepsis or septic shock, providing a rapid turnaround time optimized for time-critical clinical settings. PenKid is now commercially available for routine clinical use in the European market through the network of authorized partners.

New to penKid? Contact Boditech Med [email protected] to learn about clinical applications.