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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Diagnostic or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are currently being used to diagnose patients with COVID-19.<br /><br /></li><li>Antibody tests allow for more accurate tracking of the spread of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>. People who test positive for coronavirus antibodies can also donate plasma.</li><li>Antigen testing is not on the market yet, but Massachusetts-based E25Bio is among several companies seeking FDA approval for at-home test kits.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>With new information released all the time, it can be difficult to keep track of how doctors are testing for the coronavirus.&amp;</p><p>While identifying and treating infected patients is critical, some tests add to our greater understanding of the pandemic's size, impact, and direction. Here is a breakdown of the differences between diagnostic, antibody, and antigen testing.</p><h2>Diagnostic testing: the frontline defense</h2><p>A diagnostic or a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is used for someone suspected of being infected with the coronavirus, usually obtained through a nasal or throat swab. <br /><br />Due to the limited supply in the US, though, typically only people with severe symptoms are tested.</p><p><div type="image" title="Hailey Boland, 20, a certified nursing assistant at John C. Fremont Hospital, receives a test for COVID-19 on the first day of testing for Mariposa residents at the Mariposa Alternative School Gym in Mariposa on April 30, 2020." height="4480" width="6720" msid="75589120" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"This test is looking for the presence of viral genetic material indicating the person has a current infection and is likely infectious," epidemiologist Tista Ghosh told Insider.</p><p>"Pathogens can be seen directly in specimens from the patient, often using a microscope, or grown in the laboratory over a period of days to weeks," Stephen Berger, founder of <a href="https://www.gideononline.com/about/team/">the Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network</a>, said.</p><p><a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/diagnostics/how-do-coronavirus-tests-work">Nucleic acid tests</a>, which are more sensitive in early detection, have been used extensively during the current pandemic. Results can typically take at least one to two days, though more rapid versions are in development. <br /><br />While they can detect the virus in those who are asymptomatic, diagnostic tests present a <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.11.20021493v2.full.pdf">false negative in about 30% of cases</a>. Patients are therefore tested twice before being confirmed as noninfectious.</p><h2><keyword id="9037219" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="antibody-testing">Antibody testing</keyword>: Are you immune?</h2><p>People who may have been infected and recovered <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/serology-overview.html">are checked for antibodies</a>, proteins the body creates to help fight off a particular infection.</p><p>Coronavirus antibodies are generally not detectable until <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-take-an-antibody-test-for-coronavirus-covid-19-2020-5">14 days after symptoms</a> began. <br /><br />"In most viral infections, specific antibodies can be detected for months to years following infection — and in many cases well into old age," says Berger.</p><p><div type="image" title="A strip running a coronavirus antibody test on a blood samples." height="683" width="1024" msid="75589121" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Once someone is confirmed to have the antibodies they're able to donate plasma to patients who are currently infected. But antibody testing is also used to gain a more accurate representation of the pandemic's overall impact.</p><p>Widespread antibody testing can help track where the virus has spread and its fatality rate, and determine whether or not it's appropriate to ease a lockdown.</p><p>Unlike the swab for diagnosis, antibody tests require a blood sample, usually through a finger prick.</p><p>The blood is then examined for two types of antibodies: IgM antibodies, which develop early during an infection, and IgG antibodies, which are more likely to be detected after you've recovered and are a better indicator of at least partial immunity.</p><p>IgM test results can be available in as little as 15 minutes, while IgG tests are sent away to a lab and <a href="https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/HealthU/2020/05/02/covid-19-antibody-testing-pros-cons/">it can take up to a week for results</a>. But some clinics will only perform IgG blood tests because they're more reliable.</p><p>Does having antibodies to the coronavirus mean you're immune? It's not clear.</p><p>"In theory, the presence of these antibodies indicates a person has a low likelihood of being infected again," Ghosh said. "But we do not yet know the degree of immunity or how long this immunity lasts."</p><p>It's also not clear if antibody tests cross-react with antibodies of other, more common coronaviruses or if immunity provided by antibodies from one strain of the coronavirus extends <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-coronavirus-mutations-are-actually-nothing-to-worry-about-2020-4">to another strain</a>.</p><p>And a negative result doesn't necessarily mean you didn't have COVID-19. It could mean you have an active infection and just haven't built up any antibodies. Even without symptoms, you'd still be at risk for spreading the virus.</p><p>The FDA has issued <a href="https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/emergency-use-authorization#sarscov2antibody">emergency use authorizations</a> to increase antibody testing for the. Currently, there are over 120 different tests on the market, but not all are effective.</p><p>"<a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/04/417276/testing-tests-covid-19-antibody-assays-scrutinized-accuracy-ucsf-uc-berkeley">Early results</a> suggest that many of the serology tests on the market today are inaccurate and unreliable, and may have a high rate of false positives," Ghosh said. "So employers will need to carefully vet the quality of a given serology test before selecting a vendor, and will need to test employees multiple times to reduce the rate of false readings."</p><p>On Monday, the FDA announced that companies have 10 days to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/04/health/fda-antibody-tests-coronavirus.html">prove the accuracy of their antibody tests</a> or risk removal from the market.</p><h2>Antigen testing: the path to reopening America</h2><p>While PCR tests pick up the coronavirus' genetic material, antigen tests register <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/24/1000486/antigen-testing-could-faster-cheaper-diagnose-covid-19-coronavirus/">surface proteins</a> on the virus. They're easier to spot, making testing quicker and cheaper, and potentially available for at-home use. </p><p>"The presence of COVID-19 and many other viruses in patient specimens can be confirmed using these antigen tests, usually within minutes to hours," Berger said. "In COVID-19, the viral antigen will already be detectable at the first sign of disease. In fact, many patients will already excrete viral RNA for several days before there are any symptoms whatsoever."</p><p>An antigen can only indicate if you are currently infected, not if you recovered from the virus.</p><p><div type="image" title="deborah birx" height="1333" width="2000" msid="75589122" hostid="261"></div></p><p>White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx indicated at a recent briefing that reliable antigen testing could help reopen America, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/antigen-versus-antibody-testing-covid-19/story?id=70409446">ABC News reported</a>. <br /><br />"There will never be the ability on a nucleic acid test to do 300 million tests a day or to test everybody before they go to work or to school," Birx said. "But there might be with the antigen test."</p><p>There are no antigen tests currently on the market, but several companies are working on them. OraSure Technologies is developing a home kit that would allow users to test themselves with a saliva sample.</p><p><a href="http://www.e25bio.com/">E25Bio</a>, backed by MIT scientists, is seeking FDA approval for a rapid-response kit that could provide results within 15 minutes.</p><p><div type="image" title="E25bio testing strips." height="462" width="404" msid="75589123" hostid="261"></div>E25Bio's test resembles an over-the-counter pregnancy test: A nasal swab is taken, with the sample added to a solution and placed on a paper strip treated with artificial antibodies. If the test is positive for coronavirus, a colored indicator forms on the strip.</p><p>While antigen tests ease and speed make them attractive, their lack of sensitivity does not: They've been found to miss about 15% to 20% of infections.</p><p>"If you're using this test to screen people to make sure that they're not infected, and that they go back to work or things like that, then you'd be giving people the message that they are not infected when actually they are — and therefore transmitting the new coronavirus," Jesse Papenburg, an infectious disease expert at McGill University, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/30/847416695/a-next-generation-coronavirus-test-raises-hopes-and-concerns">NPR</a>.</p><p>For an antigen test for coronavirus to really work, scientists must understand the biology and structure of the coronavirus, something they're only beginning to do.</p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/difference-between-coronavirus-antibody-and-antigen-test-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

The difference between diagnostic, antibody, and antigen tests for the coronavirus

New Delhi, Jul 7 () Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions on Tuesday said it has launched a machine to automate the manual processes of molecular diagnostic tests including RT-PCR tests for COVID-19. <p> The machine will be available for pre-ordering starting July 13, it added. </p><p> The company however did not disclose the cost of the machine. </p><p> Earlier in March, Mylab had received commercial approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for its COVID-19 test kit, which it said was the first 'Made in India' kit to receive such an approval from the regulator. </p><p> The machine to automate molecular diagnostic tests is a compact bench-top machine that will automate lab processes from sample handling to preparing RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) ready tubes. It is a cartridge-based machine and can test multiple samples at the same time, Mylab said in a statement. </p><p> The machine can be used for a wide range of RNA and DNA-based tests including COVID-19 RT-PCR tests. </p><p> The machine can take input of various sample types such as plasma, tissue, sputum and swab, it added. </p><p> "To make India self-reliant in advanced diagnostics, Compact XL is our most ambitious project to date. Compact XL will replace the need of 700 sq ft of clean room lab with a 4x3 benchtop machine and reduce the need of 3-4 expert technicians to just one, saving operational costs for labs," Mylab Discovery Solutions MD Hasmukh Rawal said. </p><p> This machine will ensure that DNA/RNA tests such as COVID-19 testing can be done without manual error, minimal supervision and reduced human effort, he added. </p><p> In April, Mylab had said that it had partnered with Serum India CEO Adar Poonawalla and AP Globale Chairman Abhijit Pawar to scale up the operations and escalate faster delivery of its COVID-19 testing kits. </p><p> According to Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla, "scientific and technological breakthroughs are driving our fight against COVID-19. This revolutionary product, with multiple patents already filed, will be a giant leap in making testing accessible". </p><p> It will eliminate traditional barriers to the adoption of molecular diagnostics at labs and address any potential demand-supply gaps of highly skilled technicians for testing, he added. </p><p> The machine can run 32 samples at a time which can be further increased when machines are connected in a network, Mylab said. </p> "The work at Mylab goes a long way in making diagnostics affordable and making India Atmanirbhar in testing. Compact XL is the next step in the same direction," AP Globale Chairman Abhijeet Pawar said. AKT DRR DRR

Mylab launches machine to automate molecular diagnostic tests including those for COVID-19

<p class="source"><span>Associated Press</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before leaving the White House, Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Washington, to visit the National Institutes of Health's Vaccine Research Center in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the Obama administration was responsible for slowing diagnostics testing, CNN reported. </li><li>However, an aide for a Republican senator said Trump's claim is inaccurate.</li><li>The Trump administration however, has cut funding for several agencies responsible for battling the current coronavirus outbreak. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>President Donald Trump claimed the Obama administration was responsible for slowing down diagnostics testing in a meeting on the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/04/politics/donald-trump-obama-testing-lamar-alexander/index.html">CNN reported</a>. </p><p>"The Obama administration made a decision on testing that turned out to be very detrimental to what we're doing," Trump said during the meeting, according to CNN. </p><p>However, an aide for a Republican senator said Trump's claim is inaccurate. Taylor Haulsee, an aide for Sen. Lamar Alexander, told CNN that the Obama administration may have pushed for the Food and Drug Administration to have "more oversight" on diagnostics testing.</p><p>The, however, proposal never went into effect.</p><p>It's not just Haulsee who claimed Trumps statement was inaccurate, Peter Kyriacopolous, an policy expert at the Association of Public Health Laboratories told CNN that while there was an interest in allowing the FDA to regulate lab-developed drugs, it never happened. </p><p>"We aren't sure what rule is being referenced," Kyriacopolous told CNN.  </p><p>Business Insider previously <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cuts-programs-responsible-for-fighting-coronavirus-2020-2">reported</a> Trump has "spent the past several years gutting the very government programs that are tasked with combatting such a crisis." In 2018, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/02/01/cdc-to-cut-by-80-percent-efforts-to-prevent-global-disease-outbreak/">CDC</a> cut 80% of its effort to prevent global disease outbreaks, and went from working in 49 countries to only 10, due to cut funds. </p><p>One public health expert told <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-response-coronavirus-pandemic-political-reckoning-2020-2">Business Insider's Sonam Sheth</a> that the US was no better prepared than China to handle this outbreak. </p><p>"We're behind the curve, possibly well behind the curve" when it comes to being prepared, Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, told Business Insider.</p><p>According to Foreign Policy, the Trump administration also shut down the entire global-health-security unit of the National Security Council, eliminated the US government's $30 million Complex Crises Fund, and reduced national health spending by $15 billion.</p><p>On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence conceded that there were not currently enough tests, but said that production was being ramped up and it was expected that there would be in the coming weeks.</p><p>The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. </p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cuts-programs-responsible-for-fighting-coronavirus-2020-2">Trump spent the past 2 years slashing the government agencies responsible for handling the coronavirus outbreak</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-response-coronavirus-pandemic-political-reckoning-2020-2">Trump is headed for a political reckoning as his response to the coronavirus paints a grim picture of his ability to handle a pandemic</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-furious-with-cdc-for-doing-job-coronavirus-2020-2">Trump is furious with the CDC for doing its job</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-virus-everything-we-know-deadly-2019-ncov-wuhan-spread-2020-1">Coronavirus live updates: More than 95,000 people have been infected and more than 3,250 have died. The US has reported 11 deaths. Here's everything we know.</a></li></ul>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-if-humans-tried-landing-sun-2020-2">What if humans tried landing on the sun</a></h3>

Trump inaccurately claims the Obama administration is to blame for slowing down diagnostics testing

<ul><li><strong>T2 Biosystems soared as much as 38% on Tuesday after the company said its diagnostic test for <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> proved effective in identifying variants of the virus that are spreading in the UK and South Africa.</strong></li><li><strong>The T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel has demonstrated clinical sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100%, the company said.</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingestgest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong></li></ul><p>As the COVID-19 virus mutates into different variants, one small-cap <keyword id="164597" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="diagnostics">diagnostics</keyword> company says their test can detect the mutated strains: <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/ttoo-stock">T2 Biosystems</a>.</p><p>T2 Biosystems soared as much as 38% in Tuesday trades after <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/01/11/2156669/0/en/T2-Biosystems-T2SARS-CoV-2-Panel-Proves-Effective-Amid-Global-Rise-in-Variants-of-the-SARS-CoV-2-Virus.html#:~:text=Filings%20Media%20Partners-,T2%20Biosystems%20T2SARS%2DCoV%2D2%E2%84%A2%20Panel%20Proves%20Effective%20Amid,the%20SARS%2DCoV%2D2%20Virus&amp;text=January%2011%2C%202021%2018%3A19,Source%3A%20T2%20Biosystems%2C%20Inc.&amp;text=This%20analysis%20demonstrated%20that%20the,viruses%20based%20on%20sequence%20alignments.gnments.">it said its T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel proved effective</a> in identifying variants of COVID-19 that are spreading quickly in the UK, South Africa, and the US.</p><p>The T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel has demonstrated clinical sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100%, the company said.</p><p>An analysis of over 42,000 genome sequences for COVID-19 were evaluated for alignment with the diagnostic test, T2 Biosystems said.</p><p><strong><em>Read more:</em></strong><em> </em><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-to-buy-strongest-sales-growth-2021-goldman-sachs-2021-1?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingestgest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Goldman Sachs says to buy these 29 stocks poised to deliver the strongest sales growth through year-end</a></em></p><p>"This analysis demonstrated that the T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel should detect 99.99% of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses based on sequence alignments," the company said. </p><p>The bigger question is whether the COVID-19 vaccines from companies like Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca will also protect the population against these new COVID-19 variant strains. So far, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/study-suggests-pfizer-vaccine-effective-against-covid-19-mutations-2021-1">a study by Pfizer showed their vaccine should be effective</a> against the various mutations of COVID-19.</p>

T2 Biosystems jumps 38% after saying its diagnostic test can detect COVID-19 variants

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/niaid/5950870236">NIAID / Flickr</a></span></p><p class="caption">A healthy human t-cell is shown in this scanning electron micrograph image.</p></div><p></p></div></div>When it comes to treating difficult diseases like cancer, researchers have been leaning more and more toward the concept of precision medicine.</p><p>It means finding a unique course of treatment that is tailored toward a cancer tumor's particular characteristics.<br /><br />But, it turns out, there's a big disincentive to drugmakers looking to developed precision medicine: The additional testing needed to identify a tumor's specific characteristics has doctors favoring more general approaches.<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/bristol-bucks-trend-toward-precision-medicine-1457912801">Wall Street Journal</a> profile of two immuno-oncology drugs - which activate the immune system to attack cancer cells - illustrates this. <br /><br />One of the drugs, <strong>Keytruda</strong>, made by Merck, requires a diagnostic test to scan for proteins in the tumor that indicate it might work, while the other, <strong>Opdivo</strong>, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is marketed more broadly and approved for use without the additional test.</p><p>There hasn't been a trial demonstrating how well the drugs work in comparison to one another, though The Journal notes that doctors consider them similarly effective. <br /><br />By leaving the diagnostic test out doctors run a greater risk of prescribing a drug that doesn't work. </p><p>The one that requires less testing, Opdivo, had $2.1 billion in 2015 sales versus Keytruda's $566 million. </p><p>The difference is in part because Bristol-Myers has taken a mass-marketing approach: Opdivo made the top 20 list of <a href="http://www.statnews.com/2016/03/09/drug-industry-advertising/">most-advertised drugs</a>, joining the ranks of household names like Botox and Lyrica.</p><p>But it's also notable that doctors are choosing to prescribe a drug that doesn't come with the added steps of sending out a diagnostic test.</p><p>This is where the challenge for precision medicine comes in. Using diagnostic tests that ensure that the drug would work best for that particular patient are going to be the bedrock of precision medicine, which will be medicines that work best with specific genetic markers and mutations, as well as other lifestyle factors.</p><p>Right now, Opdivo and Keytruda are approved to treat cancer patients where other treatments have failed. The Journal reports that if Keytruda were to get approval to treat cancer patients who haven't received any treatment for their cancer yet, the hope is that the ease of getting the drug's diagnostic test added to other biopsy tests will make the more widely used in appropriate patients.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/adam-savage-mythbusters-toughest-myth-series-finale-syrup-swimming-2016-3">'Mythbusters' aired its last episode - here's the toughest myth host Adam Savage ever busted</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="cwM2d2cjpTFwv71f6aHWGLWYTRqbska1" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

There's a major roadblock to one of the most talked about new cancer therapies

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>We're getting a better idea of what information Theranos will be sharing about its blood-testing data.<p>On August 1, Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes will be presenting data at the&#xa0;<a href="https://www.aacc.org/meetings-and-events/2016-annual-meeting-and-expo">American Association for Clinical Chemistry's annual conference</a>&#xa0;in Philadelphia.</p><p>That's going to be a big deal because Theranos has not publicly shared any data, saying that it'd rather go through the FDA process. This will be the first time Theranos data has been presented at a medical conference.</p><p>The AACC released the abstract of her presentation on Wednesday. Here are the biggest things we noticed:</p><ol><li>It's going to be an education session, which means that it's not pegged to specific study data and conclusions that a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-asco-2016-6?op=0#/#once-you-get-past-all-the-booths-there-are-posters-presenting-data-from-all-of-the-studies-accepted-to-the-conference-these-give-you-all-the-information-you-need-to-know-about-the-clinical-trials-including-how-they-were-run-what-happened-and-who-funded-them-its-an-overwhelming-amount-of-information-theyre-not-quite-as-flashy-as-the-booths-8">study poster presentation</a>&#xa0;would display.</li><li>It'll be presenting&#xa0;data that intends to show how the company's finger-prick blood test, which requires only a small amount of blood, stacks up to a typical blood test that draws a few tubes of blood from a vein.</li><li>Among the tests Theranos will be demonstrating is a test to diagnose the Zika virus.</li></ol><h2>Here's the abstract:</h2><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Title:</strong> Theranos <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">Science</keyword> &amp; Technology: the miniaturization of lab testing</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Abstract:</strong> Theranos' mission is to deliver affordable and easily accessible clinical diagnostic testing. To achieve this objective, the company has developed a family of novel clinical diagnostic methods with the aim to simplify sample collection and reduce sample volume requirements, while performing a wide range of diagnostic tests in both centralized and decentralized settings. This presentation will describe the Theranos lab testing framework, which consists of a finger-stick blood collection and storage device, technologies for processing small volume samples in a centralized setting, and a compact fully-integrated and automated field-deployable diagnostic testing platform. Ms. Holmes will present reproducibility and correlation data for various tests comparing Theranos' capillary collection and storage device with traditional venipuncture methods. She will also discuss methodology employed for their diagnostic testing platform, and share data to demonstrate the precision and accuracy of these chemistry, immunochemistry, hematology, and molecular assays (traditionally performed on separate instruments) using their analytical testing platform, including a novel molecular test for the Zika virus.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Following the presentation by Ms. Holmes, there will be a moderator-led Q&amp;A session featuring questions submitted in real-time by members of the audience. The moderator panel will include Drs. Patti Jones, PhD; Y.M. Dennis Lo, DM, DPhil, FRCP, FRCPath; and Stephen Master, MD, PhD. This interactive session is not part of the accredited educational program, and as such will not receive Continuing Medical Education or ACCENT credit.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/walgreens-cancels-theranos-partnership-2016-6">Walgreens on Sunday said that its relationship</a> with Theranos was over effective immediately. Walgreens cited the company's decision to void two years' worth of test results and a government agency's rejection of the company's plan of correction.</p><p>The termination shutters an additional 40 Theranos Wellness Centers, where people can go have their blood drawn, in Walgreens stores.&#xa0;Any future partnerships from here on out will most likely rely on validating the company's technology, and this presentation in August could be critical to winning back some ground.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/veinviewer-medical-device-2016-3">This medical device should make drawing blood a lot less painful </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="swMDVpMTE6SJ5n-XvdKmO31ngJXeEGVM" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Theranos is finally going to share data on its blood tests - here's what to expect

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>A Silicon Valley blood-testing startup called Telomere Diagnostics sells a $99 kit that tells customers the average length of their telomeres.</strong></li><li><strong>Telomeres are seen by some researchers as a holy grail of aging. Unlike other factors, such as your genetics or upbringing, telomere length appears to change in response to behaviors like diet and exercise.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>But two of Telomere Diagnostics' original founders, along with a NASA researcher who specializes in telomeres, raised doubts about the efficacy of the test.</strong></li><li><strong>A former Telomere Diagnostics employee also alleged that the company's lab was "filthy" and said she didn't "believe in the <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword>" behind the test.</strong></li></ul><p>Age is just a number, unless you're talking about your "cellular age."</p><p>Cellular age, according to a Silicon Valley company called Telomere Diagnostics, reveals more about your health than a birth date ever could.</p><p>Telomere Diagnostics sells a $99 at-home blood-testing kit that tells customers the average length of their telomeres, the tiny protective caps on our DNA believed to protect us from aging's steady wear and tear.</p><p>Then the company offers health advice based on the test results.</p><p>Telomeres are seen by some researchers as a holy grail of aging. That's because unlike other factors such as your genes or upbringing, telomere length appears to change in response to a variety of activities. Commit to regular exercise and your telomeres will grow, Telomere Diagnostics claims. Start binging on fast food and they'll shrink.</p><p>"It's like a fitness tracker for your DNA," Jason Shelton, the CEO of Telomere Diagnostics, told Business Insider. "It can change based on actions you take, and you can see the results immediately."</p><p>But two of Telomere Diagnostics' three original founders, along with a NASA researcher who specializes in telomeres, aren't so sure.</p><p>Elizabeth Blackburn, a biologist at the University of California at San Francisco, who won the Nobel Prize for her work on telomeres, in 2009, cofounded Telomere Diagnostics in 2010. The company still shows images of a Nobel Prize on its website, but Blackburn left the company more than five years ago because of concerns she had about its products.</p><p>Elissa Epel, another UCSF researcher who cofounded the company with Blackburn, left at the same time for the same reasons.</p><p>Both researchers told Business Insider that they questioned the efficacy of Telomere Diagnostics' test. And a former Telomere Diagnostics employee said she witnessed practices that raised doubts about the company's cleanliness, commitment to scientific accuracy, and handling of private health information.</p><h2>The emerging science of telomeres</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>NIH</span></p><p class="caption">Telomeres, in white, are structures at the tips of chromosomes, in blue.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In 2009, Blackburn <a href="http://biochemistry2.ucsf.edu/labs/blackburn/index.php?Itemid=3"> shared the Nobel Prize in medicine</a> for her work demonstrating that our cells' chromosomes - the wishbone-shaped structures that contain our DNA - are capped with delicate structures, or telomeres, that help shield our genetic material from wear and tear.</p><p>It gave rise to a fervor of telomere research. Nearly 1,300 papers containing the word "telomeres" came out in 2017 - a nearly fourteenfold increase from 1991, when there were fewer than 100 such papers.</p><p>But the links between telomere length, health, and aging are not yet clear cut.</p><p>Shorter telomeres have been tied to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5042389/">higher rates of disease</a>,<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5379954/"> faster tumor growth</a>, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2790562/"> overall age-related degeneration</a>. But longer telomeres have not been tied to the opposite outcomes; several recent studies have failed to find <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28887594">any link between long telomeres</a> and positive health effects, and longer-than-normal telomeres have also been tied to an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27498151">increased risk of cancer</a>.</p><p>Many activities appear to have the power to grow or blunt telomeres, from exercise to smoking, but scientists have not yet been able to prove that this relationship is causal. That means that we still do not fully understand telomeres or their role in aging and disease. So trying to lengthen or shorten your telomeres as a health intervention is arguably premature and, at worst, harmful, some experts say.</p><p>And there is no recognized optimal telomere length for health. According to Blackburn, that makes the idea of telling someone their cellular age based on the length of their telomeres problematic - at least for now.</p><p>Still another hurdle is that measurements of telomere length vary depending on the method used to test them. Some testing procedures look at the length of all the telomeres in a given blood sample and give you the average - the method that Telomere Diagnostics uses - while other tests focus exclusively on the shortest telomeres in a sample.</p><p>But telomere science is a highly promising area for future studies, many researchers say. When looking across large populations, telomeres hold intriguing clues about how everything from diet to smoking affects our cells and their ability to self-repair and replenish.</p><p>"The research uses of telomere analyses, done with high quality controls and on sufficiently large and carefully done cohort studies, are scientifically valuable," Blackburn said. "It is just the value right now of commercial testing of individuals without clearly telling those tested the whole story that I find questionable."</p><h2>A NASA scientist says astronaut Scott Kelly 'threw a wrench' into one hypothesis about telomeres</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/scott-kelly-and-mark-kelly-at-the-johnson-space-center">NASA</a></span></p><p class="caption">Twin astronauts Scott Kelly, right, and Mark Kelly are helping NASA explore what life in space does to the human body.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Because of their potential connection to aging, stress, and disease, telomeres are of particular interest to researchers at NASA.</p><p>As part of its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-twin-study-new-results-mark-scott-kelly-2017-10"> NASA Twin Study</a>, researchers are using Scott Kelly and his identical twin brother, Mark, to explore how the intense stress of spaceflight spurs changes inside the body. Scott lived in space for a year while his Mark stayed on Earth, and scientists examined Scott's genes after he returned.</p><p>They found evidence of a body trying to protect itself from strain. But his telomeres did not respond the way scientists had expected. Instead of shrinking, as telomeres are believed to do in response to stress or negativity, they grew longer.</p><p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/twins-study/meet-the-researchers/telomeres">Susan Bailey</a>, a professor of radiation-cancer biology and one of the lead NASA researchers studying the Kelly twins, told Business Insider that the discovery "threw a wrench into the hypothesis" that healthy behaviors lengthen telomeres while unhealthy ones shorten them.</p><p>It was a reminder, she said, of how much we still don't know about the links between telomeres, health, and aging.</p><p>"There's a lot of good research that shows shorter telomeres are linked with heart disease, whereas longer ones are associated with an increased risk of things like cancer," Bailey added. "I think you have to balance those things. It's not just, 'Oh, I have longer telomeres, so I'm going to live longer and be healthier.' You may live longer, but you may get cancer, too."</p><h2>From Nobel Prize to brazen startup</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images / Justin Sullivan</span></p><p class="caption">Elizabeth Blackburn, right, celebrates her Nobel Prize in medicine.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>After she discovered telomeres, Blackburn believed that measuring them could give doctors and patients a way to spot signs of poor health early. So in 2010 she founded Telome Health along with Epel and another UCSF researcher, Jue Lin, who still serves on the company's scientific advisory board but told Business Insider she was "not very" involved with them. The startup aimed to help accelerate the pace of telomere research.</p><p>"Our vision was to enroll people in research [with a consent form], tell them their results in a responsible way, and learn more about the effects of testing," Epel said.</p><p>Blackburn served as a cofounder, board member, and chair of the company's scientific advisory committee.</p><p>Several of Blackburn's colleagues in the field expressed doubts about the usefulness of the blood test between 2010 and 2013, but she called the test's utility "a no-brainer" in 2013 interview with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/science/elizabeth-blackburn-molecular-biologist-charts-her-own-course.html">The New York Times</a>.</p><p>A few months after that interview, Blackburn left Telome Health. The decision, she told Business Insider, was the result of an internal conflict. A board member wanted to team up with a supplement company called TA Sciences, which was making a plant-extract pill that it claimed could lengthen telomeres and fight aging and disease.</p><p>Blackburn said she had concerns that the supplement, known as TA-65, "carried a very scientifically plausible risk of being cancer-causing." The board out-voted Blackburn.</p><p>"This was sufficient for me ... to sever [my] relationship with the company," she said.</p><p>TA-65 is made with telomerase, an enzyme that appears to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3045570/">spur telomeres to elongate</a>. But that growth may also <a href="https://www.ejcancer.com/article/S0959-8049(97)00062-2/abstract">seed the germination of cancer cells</a> by making it easier for them to proliferate, according to research from several biologists, including Blackburn.</p><p>Jim Cich, the president of TA Sciences, told Business Insider that he believed Blackburn's doubts "revolved around a worry a few people had in the early days of telomere biology," adding that those concerns were "currently out of date with the thinking of most telomere biologists."</p><p>But a study <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4915101/">published in the journal Genome Medicine</a> in 2016 suggested that deactivating telomerase - as opposed to reactivating it, as TA-65 claims to do - could be a promising anticancer treatment.</p><p>Cich, however, said TA-65 was safe and effective.</p><p>"TA Sciences has spent several million dollars on product testing including double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of TA-65," he said.</p><p>Within a year of leaving the company, Blackburn had stepped down from all leadership roles and donated all of her equity to a nonprofit. Epel and Lin Blackburn's cofounders, also left at that time for the same reason.</p><p>"The company's direction was drifting away from the scientific basis underpinning its formation," Blackburn thought.</p><p>But the work continued. The company changed its name to Telomere Diagnostics and began selling its telomere testing kits, called TeloYears, for $99. Lin, the third cofounder, rejoined the company's scientific advisory board at this time.</p><p>When asked about the test's accuracy, Jason Shelton, Telomere Diagnostics' CEO, said that since he took on a leadership role at the company, in 2014, "We have remained strongly committed to advancing telomere science." To that end, the company published an <a href="http://jalm.aaccjnls.org/content/early/2017/04/20/jalm.2016.022137">article in a peer-reviewed journal</a> last year that said the company's telomere-measuring techniques were scientifically valid.</p><p>Shelton said the company's relationship with TA Sciences "was terminated" when he took over in 2014.</p><p>Today, Telomere Diagnostics sells a different supplement that it says is based on scientific research that has found links between various vitamins - including vitamins D and E - and longer telomeres.</p><p>Telomere Diagnostics is now doing well financially, according to Alexandre Levert, a board member who represents a French shareholder in the company. Levert told Business Insider that 2017 was one of the "strongest years so far" in terms of revenue.</p><h2>How Telomere Diagnostics determines cellular age</h2><p>The process of getting your cellular age from the TeloYears test is somewhat similar to the one that genetics and ancestry-testing companies use. Customers get a box in the mail, which contains a kit for providing biological samples (TeloYears uses blood; other companies use saliva). Customers follow the instructions, then ship their blood sample back to the company for processing.</p><p>Once a doctor signs off on the order, customers receive a report in the mail that purports to tell them whether the age of their cells "in TeloYears" is older or younger than their actual age. This result is an indicator of "how well a person is aging," Shelton said.</p><p>"You can use your results to improve your overall health by finding … the motivation to take steps to slow down the clock on the aging process," the Telomere Diagnostics website reads.</p><p>Those steps, according to the company, involve more exercise, sleep, and healthier eating.</p><p>"Your TeloYears results can also be used, through repeat testing, to track how your choices are affecting your aging," the description says.</p><p>All those recommendations are "common sense," Lin, the third cofounder, told Business Insider. Despite this, she said the test would be helpful to many people who "don't have the motivation to improve or maintain their health."</p><p>"If knowing your telomere length is the thing that allows them to have that motivation, that could be a potential use," Lin said.</p><h2>'I didn't believe in the science'</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>A former Telomere Diagnostics employee, who worked for the company as a supervisor on a contract basis in 2017, spoke with Business Insider anonymously about her experience out of fear of retribution.</p><p>Several events made her uneasy about the work she was doing, she said. On one occasion, the employee said, a Telomere Diagnostics customer complained that their TeloYears results were inaccurate. The customer said that because they regularly exercised and ate healthy, they must have a younger "cellular age" than the one the test yielded. According to the employee, Telomere Diagnostics responded by sending the customer a new kit, then returned results showing a new "cellular age" that was decades younger.</p><p>"The test is garbage," she said, adding, "I didn't believe in the science."</p><p>Shelton denied that the company had ever fudged the numbers on a report and said such behavior would be grounds for firing an employee.</p><p>The former employee also alleged that she observed several organizational errors in the lab that jeopardized patient privacy. She twice saw staff members accidentally mix up customers' test results, she said, which led them to mail one customer's health information to the wrong person. In one of those cases, a customer sent back a report that belonged to another patient, she alleged.</p><p>Shelton said those two errors did occur, but said "both were promptly rectified."</p><p>Finally, the employee alleged that Telomere Diagnostics' lab was once infested by mice. She said she raised the issue "over and over again" in meetings with management, but "people wouldn't listen." She quit.</p><p>"That lab is the filthiest, most screwed-up lab I've ever seen in my life," she said, adding, "I'm honestly stunned that they're still in existence."</p><p>The former employee also worked in the lab of Silicon Valley blood-testing startup Theranos, which was plagued by scandal and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-lessons-tips-silicon-valley-biotech-investors-2018-8">announced plans to formally dissolve</a> in September.</p><p>Shelton did not deny the allegation about a mouse infestation but said "any traces of pests would be addressed according to accepted pest-control procedures."</p><p>Levert, the Telomere Diagnostics board member, agreed with Shelton, telling Business Insider that during his "regular" visits to the company's lab he never saw any evidence supporting the former employee's claims.</p><p>"We're putting all of our efforts into a really high-quality lab where we're upgrading regularly," Levert said. "Any inspections we've had have been very positive."</p><h2>2 founders raise questions over accuracy</h2><p>Some researchers who specialize in telomeres - including Blackburn and Epel - said the science wasn't yet advanced enough for any company to offer health advice based on measurements of telomere length.</p><p>"Telomere length is another risk factor, just like cholesterol," Epel told Business Insider. "But the current tests for it are probably not accurate for widespread use, or for single use for individuals."</p><p>Bailey, the NASA scientist, said a few crucial steps were necessary before such tests could be considered trustworthy.</p><p>"At the most basic level, one of the first things we need to do is standardize how telomere length is being measured and make sure we're measuring what we think we're measuring in the first place," Bailey said.</p><p>But Shelton, Telomere Diagnostics' CEO, said telomeres' malleability is precisely what makes them useful.</p><p>"If you do an ancestry test, there's no amount of push-ups you can do that can change what percent Irish you are," Shelton said. "But your telomere length is one of those unique parts of DNA that's been shown in clinical studies to change based on a variety of lifestyle modifications."</p><p>Shelton encouraged customers to take the test several times so that they could track how their telomere length shifts based on, say, eating healthier or working out more regularly.</p><p>"We can help inspire people to improve their overall lifestyle and engage on their own personal journey through what is perhaps the oldest and most important problem shared by all mankind," he said. "How do you put more years in your life, and how do you put more life in your years?"</p><p>But of course the more times a person takes the TeloYears test, the more money Shelton's company makes.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/is-it-bad-to-eat-moldy-bread-2018-8">Never eat the 'clean' part of moldy bread</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

'This test is garbage': Experts and former employees allege that a Silicon Valley startup gives bogus 'cellular ages' based on a flawed blood test

New Delhi, Apr 16 () Hyundai Motor India on Thursday said it has handed over COVID-19 advanced diagnostic testing kits to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).<p>The globally proven diagnostic kits worth Rs 4 crore have been imported from South Korea and offer high levels of accuracy, catering to the testing requirements of over 25, 000 individuals, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement.</p><p>"These highly accurate diagnostic kits can help the government scale up testing efforts in affected regions and arrest the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in India," HMIL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer SS Kim said.</p><p>The South Korean automaker has already donated Rs 5 crore to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Relief Fund.</p><p>It has also augmented the supply of ventilators and other respiratory aids such as the in-house developed Ambu Bag Actuator.</p><p>Besides, the company said it is distributing masks and other safety kits to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>HMIL has also announced various initiatives for customers including extension of warranty, service timelines.  MSS    RUJRUJ

Hyundai hands over COVID-19 diagnostic kits to ICMR

Toronto, June 11 () Scientists have found that seven out of 27 COVID-19 diagnostic tests which are currently in use may be underperforming possibly due to the novel coronavirus mutating, and have cautioned that the effectiveness of testing methods needs to be re-evaluated. <p> According to the study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, many of the tests were developed early in the outbreak when the virus was first identified, and its genetic material was sequenced. </p><p> The researchers from York University in Canada said it is important to re-evaluate the methods periodically to ensure they still work. </p><p> "COVID-19 tests use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to diagnose the virus in patients, but if those assays are mismatched due to genetic variability in the viral genome, that raises the concern that the tests may not be detecting all the circulating variants of the virus and results could be inaccurate," explained Kashif Aziz Khan, corresponding author of the study. </p><p> Correcting any mismatches between the assays and the coronavirus genome may help improve the sensitivity and accuracy of some of the diagnostic tests, the researchers said in a statement. </p><p> According to the scientists, the early sequencing of the genetic material of the virus allowed for the development of PCR detection protocols by multiple national organizations that were published by the World Health Organization (WHO). </p><p> These tests, according to the study, use probes that bind to the viral genetic material in a patient sample and help produce several detectable copies of it -- if the person is infected with the coronavirus. </p><p> However, the researchers said these tests that do not account for variations and mutations. </p><p> "Given the potential for the viruses to mutate, genetic variations in the viral genome at primer/probe binding regions can result in potential mismatches and false-negative results," the scientists wrote in the study. </p><p> In the current study, the researchers tested genetic variations in more than 17,000 publicly available viral genome sequences worldwide, and performed an exhaustive evaluation of 27 published diagnostic PCR assays. </p><p> The analysis showed the presence of mismatches in the probe binding regions of the coronavirus genetic material in seven out of the 27 assays. </p> "These findings are potentially important for clinicians, laboratory professionals and policy-makers as it gives them a better idea of which tests may deliver the best results, and how to ensure the tests they are using are properly matched to the virus genome," Khan said. VIS VIS

Coronavirus mutations may lead to COVID-19 diagnosis test mismatch: Study

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Amazon Web Services will offer $20 million work of credits and technical support to customers who are working to develop faster COVID-19 testing.</li><li>The initiative will at first focus on COVID-19 - the illness caused by the novel coronavirus - and could expand to other infectious diseases.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com">Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Amazon Web Services on Friday said it will offer $20 million worth of credits and technical support to customers who are working to develop faster COVID-19 testing.</p><p>"One area where we have heard an urgent need is in the research and development of diagnostics, which consist of rapid, accurate detection and testing of COVID-19," Amazon said in a statement. "Better diagnostics will help accelerate treatment and containment, and in time, shorten the course of this epidemic."</p><p>AWS - Amazon's multibillion-dollar cloud computing unit - is calling it a $20 million initiative to "accelerate diagnostic research, innovation, and development to speed our collective understanding and detection of COVID-19 and other innovate diagnostic solutions to mitigate future infectious disease outbreaks."</p><p>Amazon said the funding will come in the form of "in-kind credits and technical support" for customers who are finding ways to use the cloud to tackle challenges related to the crisis.</p><p>The program will be open to private companies and accredited research institutions using AWS to develop testing that can be done at home, or provide same-day results at a clinic. The initiative will initially focus on COVID-19, but the company said it will also consider other infectious disease diagnostic products.</p><p>The initiative could make it more likely companies and research institutions developing infectious disease diagnostic products choose Amazon's cloud over its competitors, which include Microsoft and Google Cloud.</p><p><em><strong>Are you an Amazon Web Services employee? </strong>Contact this reporter via email at <a href="mailto:astewart@businessinsider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">astewart@businessinsider.com</a>, message her on Twitter @ashannstew, or send her a secure message through Signal at 425-344-8242.</em></p><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/30-big-tech-predictions-for-2020?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=amazon&amp;itm_campaign=30-big-tech-predictions-for-2020"></a></p>

Amazon Web Services offers $20 million worth of credits and technical support for customers working on faster COVID-19 testing

New Delhi, Mar 28 () Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) on Saturday said it is committed to work with the Indian government to ensure there is no disruption in global supply chain in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.<p>As India gears up to battle the coronavirus pandemic, the global medical technology industry is on the front line, mobilizing at never-before-seen levels, to help win this fight, AdvMed said in a statement.</p><p>"Our global network of experts is committed to support and work constructively with the government to ensure that there is no disruption in the global supply chain considering the dire need for technology to win this fight against Covid-19," AdvaMed Vice President Abby Pratt said.</p><p>As an association, AdvaMed will continue to work with the Indian government to help improve the status quo in light of the pandemic that will not only ensure quality healthcare of Indian patients but also encourage robust innovation landscape for companies that promote life-saving and life-improving treatments and cures in times of such a crisis situation, he added.</p><p>"Rapid scaling up of the availability of screening and diagnostic tests in more centres across India is key to manage the reported increase in the number of Covid-19 cases across India," Roche Diagnostics India Pvt Ltd MD Shravan Subramanyam said.</p><p>Addition of state government-run labs to the existing network could be an effective first step in the direction, he added.</p><p>"The government can establish scale for the Covid-19 screening and diagnostic network through existing private lab infrastructure, while diagnostic service providers can provide the technology for such testing," Subramanyam said.</p><p>Private labs partnership in the scaling up process allows for their existing countrywide infrastructure to be leveraged to address a potentially mass testing requirement, he added.</p>Emphasising the need for clear communication, BD-India/South Asia MD Pavan Mocherla said: "At a time like this, it is imperative to have a clear and consistent communication between the central authorities and the local bodies to ensure seamless and effective implementation of lockdown while preserving the supply chain for essential services in battling the COVID-19 crisis".  AKT  BALBAL

Committed to work with Indian govt to fight COVID-19 pandemic: AdvaMed

New Delhi, May 7 () Roche Diagnostics India on Thursday said it has received import licence from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test kit and is readying to bring it to India.<p> The import licence has been issued by the drug regulator due to the emergency health situation in public interest, Roche Diagnostics India said in a statement.</p><p> "From bringing the globally used tests to the country in record time to establishing the disease control measures by creating COVID-19 diagnostic hubs..., the Indian government and the state governments have been collaborating with various sections of the healthcare system to manage the situation," Roche Diagnostics India MD Shravan Subramanyam said.</p><p> Laboratory-based immunodiagnostic testing will complement the existing reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) solutions to possibly ascertain coronavirus-related immunity among patients and all those who want to 'go back to work' to bring the health and economic activity back to normalcy, he added.</p> The test can support priority screening of high-risk groups, such as healthcare workers, delivery service providers, or food supply workers who might already have been exposed and developed an immune response, the statement said.  AKT  HRS

You Searched For "Diagnostic testing" and got 12 results

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