NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – University Hospital Case Medical Center today said it has reached a deal with Arup Laboratories to offer a sequencing-based HIV diagnostic test.
The test, called Deepgen-HIV, was developed by Miguel Quinones-Mateu, scientific director at the UH lab and an assistant professor in the department of pathology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Under the terms of the deal, Arup will include the test in its offerings and market it nationally. The UH Translational Laboratory in Cleveland will perform the test.
Using deep sequencing, Deepgen-HIV determines drug resistance and the ability of HIV to infect different cells, allowing clinicians and researchers to monitor the effectiveness of an HIV treatment. The assay detects minority variants at frequencies "unimaginable with current HIV genotypic tests based on standard (Sanger) sequencing," UH said in a statement.
While the clinical relevance of the minority members of the viral population is still under debate, "it is reasonable to assume that the earlier these mutant viruses are detected, the sooner the proper strategy can be defined to control their growth," Quinones-Mateu said. The Arup agreement, he added, will accelerate the use of Deepgen-HIV, "which will allows us to enhance the care and treatment of HIV-infected individuals across the country."