Even small differences in cardiac biomarker performance can determine how quickly a heart attack is detected. Findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025 highlight the first direct comparison between two assays measuring cardiac myosin binding protein C, a novel biomarker for myocardial injury.

Published in the European Heart Journal, this international diagnostic study enrolled 1,510 patients presenting with chest pain at emergency departments. Blood samples were collected and analyzed using both Cobas and Erenna assays, while diagnoses were adjudicated independently.

Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction was confirmed in 19.1% of participants. The Cobas assay showed marginally better discrimination (AUC 0.933) compared with the Erenna assay (AUC 0.923), though both displayed strong correlation (r = 0.97). Over a 5-year follow-up, prognostic accuracy for cardiovascular death or acute myocardial infarction was nearly identical between the two.

The findings suggest Cobas may offer a slight diagnostic edge in acute care settings, while both assays remain robust tools for long-term cardiovascular risk assessment.