Business Wire - October 1, 2001
HIVComplete is the first comprehensive testing and information service focused on the management of HIV, a disease infecting nearly one million Americans.
HIVComplete stands alone in its breadth of services as the only program offering InCelTect(tm) technology, which provides the detection and monitoring of HIV at the site of the infection -- in the cell. InCelTect's unparalleled sensitivity represents the earliest detection available and provides critical information for the measurement of disease stage and treatment efficacy that cannot be gleaned from plasma viral loads. Esoterix Infectious Disease Center is the only laboratory offering this new technology.
A recent joint publication in "AIDS" from Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and Esoterix, demonstrates the clinical utility of InCelTect in HIV-infected individuals with undetectable plasma viral loads. This study demonstrates that some viral replication maintains the anti-HIV immune response in the infected individuals.
"This information is critical since anti-retroviral drugs inhibit HIV differently in T-cells than they do in monocytes/macrophages. The InCelTect technology will allow us to tailor anti-retroviral therapy based on whether an individual has predominantly a T-cell disease or a monocyte/macrophage disease," explains Bruce K. Patterson, M.D., the creator of the technology behind InCelTect and the founder of Invirion Inc.
According to Stephen J. Brown, M.D., Director of Clinical Research for the AIDS Research Alliance, "This new test will allow us to much more rapidly identify persistent viral replication in individuals with undetectable viral loads. This will be one of the few ways we can evaluate the additional effect of adjunctive therapies that target infected cells, such as immunotherapies, entry blockers and vaccines, in patients. Without these additional tools we are left with the slower, more cumbersome techniques limited to special research centers."
Esoterix Infectious Disease Center is a specialized provider of laboratory services focused exclusively on assisting clients in diagnosing, monitoring and treating patients with microbial diseases. Dr. Ted E. Schutzbank, Chief Scientific Officer, leads the center.
Schutzbank explains the importance of InCelTect: "By targeting specific, highly productive HIV reservoirs we may be able to achieve greater suppression and reduce viral evolution and ultimately drug resistance."
Results are available in just 48 hours.
Esoterix Infectious Disease Center is part of the Esoterix Inc. family of laboratories. Founded in 1995, Esoterix Inc. is a unique company providing technology-based laboratory services and information solutions to enhance healthcare providers' ability to manage and care for patients. Esoterix has 550 employees and is privately funded through Behrman Capital of New York. (www.esoterix.com)
NOTE: In the name "HIVComplete," the "Complete" is italicized. It was changed for transmission purposes only.
Media Professionals Please Contact:
Dori Thornhill
TSH Marketing Group
512/261-9499 dori@tshmarketing.com
Medical Professionals Please Contact:
Esoterix Inc. Customer Service
800/383-0980
www.esoterix.com
Patients: Contact your doctor.
CONTACT: TSH Marketing Group Dori Thornhill, 512/261-9499 dori@tshmarketing.com or Esoterix Inc. Customer Service 800/383-0980 www.esoterix.com
SOURCE: Esoterix Inc.
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