ABL HIV and HCV Genotyping and Sequencing Assays

Advanced Biological Laboratories has launched DeepChek SingleRound HIV and Hepatitis C virus genotyping and sequencing assays. These two assays are the first in the ABL's virology reagents portfolio and are currently available for research use only, the company said in a statement.

The DeepChek SingleRound HIV RT-PCR and sequencing assay detects all major HIV-1 subtypes (i.e. B, C, F, A1, D, 02_AG, etc.). The assay combines all the reagents and protocols required to perform the amplification and sequencing of reverse transcriptase, protease, and integrase. The overall performance in sensitivity and susceptibility is comparable to available commercial kits and the amplification step was successful in samples with low viral load down to 300 copies/mL, the company stated. The DeepChek SingleRound HCV genotyping and subtyping assay detects genotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6— more specifically subtypes 1a and 1b — by targeting NS5B and 5'UTR HCV coding regions. It exhibits a limit of detection of 1000 IU/mL. Both assays are bundled with ViroScore and DeepChek software, and both are CE-marked for IVD use with Sanger and next-generation sequencing, respectively.