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news.Quest Diagnostics has entered into a non-exclusive license agreement for the heteroduplex tracking technology underlying Pathway Diagnostics's SensiTrop HIV co-receptor tropism test.
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Pathway’s SensiTrop technology is designed to enable physicians to identify the HIV co-receptor tropism status of a patient infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Pathway’s technology detects the CXCR4 HIV co-receptor in patient samples that have as little as 1% CXCR4-tropic virus, enabling physicians to identify with a high degree of accuracy those patients with X4-tropic virus who are unlikely to benefit from, and should not receive, treatment with entry inhibitor therapies. The heteroduplex tracking technology, which is molecular based, also can yield test results within seven days of receiving a specimen, compared to up to four weeks to receive results with cellular-based methods.
During the first quarter of 2008, Quest Diagnostics expects to develop an in-house laboratory validated assay based on the licensed technology. Until then and beginning November 1, 2007, physicians may order SensiTrop through Quest Diagnostics, which will refer the test to Pathway Diagnostics.
Walter Narajowski, CEO of Pathway Diagnostics, said: “Offering a molecular-based HIV co-receptor tropism assay through Quest Diagnostics will give the greatest number of patients the opportunity to take advantage of Selzentry and future drug therapies in its class.”