EraGen Biosciences Ships SARS Diagnostic Test in Record Time

EraGen Biosciences Ships SARS Diagnostic Test in Record Time

MADISON, Wis., April 30 EraGen Biosciences, Inc. announced today that it has developed a new SARS specific assay test using their proprietary Gene-Code(TM) technology. The test is now in the hands of USAMRIID (US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) and is being shipped to WHO Central Public Health Laboratory (UK) and the British Columbia Center of Disease Control.
“With the recent sequencing of the SARS genome, EraGen went to work immediately to develop a rapid test to detect SARS. The goal was to use our proven AEGIS(TM) technology to develop an assay to give healthcare
professionals a quick means for determining SARS viral load,” reported Irene Hrusovsky, MD, Chief Executive Officer of EraGen.
“Our patented AEGIS(TM) technology used in this assay is able to detect and differentiate pathogens in less than 60 minutes. Because our tests analyze the basic genetic structure of pathogens, they are considerably more accurate in the early detection of the disease than tests which examine the body’s immunological response.”
EraGen is currently working with healthcare experts around the world to help in diagnosing SARS. The new Gene-Code(TM) assay adds to EraGen’s growing number of molecular diagnostic products in the infectious disease area. “We are confident our assay will prove to be extremely reliable since it has a number of controls that eliminate the possibility of false positives and negatives,” stated Gary Madsen PhD, Chief Technical Officer at EraGen and commercial diagnostic product expert. “For this reason, the control systems built into the Gene-Code(TM) assay are essential for clinical iagnostic testing.”
Initially, EraGen will offer its SARS assay to reference labs, the CDC and other governmental agencies willing to validate the test. Additionally, EraGen is developing a “genotyping” SARS assay to differentiate the unique
strains that have been sequenced to date.