Atherotech has contracted with Source Scientific, LLC, a medical device developer and manufacturer, to create a line of cholesterol diagnostics and to modularize VAP Test equipment for placement with a broad array of domestic and international diagnostic laboratories, the companies reported.

"The success of the VAP Test -- the first cholesterol test for patients at risk for cardiovascular disease -- is based on a combination of factors, including strong demand among physicians, clinical labs, and patients, updated government cholesterol guidelines, and ongoing efforts of pharmaceutical companies to improve treatment of coronary heart disease," said Joanne Varner, Atherotech's president and CEO. "Opening the technology up to laboratories worldwide and expanding the VAP Test product line allow for broad-based assimilation of the technology in the medical community and position Atherotech for significant, sustainable growth."

The VAP Test is the first cholesterol profile to comply with updated National Cholesterol Education Program recommendations calling for more-accurate, direct low-density lipoprotein (LDL) measurement. It also identifies emerging risk factors that better identify patients at risk for heart disease, facilitating more-aggressive treatment and management.