Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - November 2, 2001
HIV-1 Phenotype analysis determines the ability of the virus to replicate in the presence of anti-retroviral drugs. The VirtualPhenotype(TM) is a rapid and cost-effective test to help predict the effectiveness of various HIV drug therapies. This test combines the reliability and accuracy of phenotyping with the speed of genotyping. Virco's VirtualPhenotype(TM) is the world's only quantitative prediction of resistance from the genotype and is the only genotype derived test that can provide an IC50 fold increase as a measure of the degree of resistance for all approved HIV drugs. It consists of first performing a traditional HIV genotyping assay. The resulting genotype data are used to query Virco's relational database of resistance information, with over 100,000 genotypes and phenotypes. This produces a VirtualPhenotype(TM) based on data from hundreds or thousands of real phenotypes with the same patterns of genotypic mutations. The resulting VirtualPhenotype(TM) reports the predicted IC50 for each of the approved anti-retroviral drugs. This result has the advantage of providing predictive phenotypic information at a significant cost savings and in one-third the time required to perform a traditional HIV-1 phenotype assay. Having both the genotype and information from the VirtualPhenotype(TM) allows the clinician to make better management decisions about an HIV-infected patient's individual therapy.
For clinicians who wish to have actual phenotypic analysis, AML will also offer Virco's phenotype test, the Antivirogram(R). This test offers a direct measure of resistance of each of the 15 HIV drugs currently on the market today. It is the most complete phenotype test available today covering all known resistance mutations and provides biological cut-offs for each drug which provides the clinician with valuable information from which to determine the best treatment regimen for the patient.
Virco Lab, Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of Tibotec-Virco. It includes a state of the art molecular biology laboratory for HIV resistance testing services, which opened in November 1999. Tibotec-Virco is a multinational biotechnology company with headquarters in Belgium and operating subsidiaries in the United States and Ireland. Tibotec-Virco applies the latest techniques in pharmacogenomics, molecular biology, drug discovery and development, and artificial intelligence to develop new drugs and individualized disease management products and services in HIV and other infectious diseases with the ultimate aim of enhancing and extending people's lives. The company was formed from the merger of Virco Group NV and Tibotec Group NV on March 14, 2001 and brings together the complementary expertise of Tibotec in drug discovery and development and that of Virco in pharmacogenomics and molecular diagnostics.
AML was founded in 1959 and is the third largest esoteric testing laboratory in the United States. The company is committed to developing partnerships with hospitals and community laboratory networks that are seeking creative solutions to reduce laboratory costs, enhance customer service, and improve information technology services. AML has a long-standing tradition of developing leading-edge technology and esoteric testing services for its customers. In addition to analytical services, AML has developed core competencies in innovative information technology solutions and superior customer service that bring greater value to healthcare providers. AML is committed to be the industry leader in customer service and to be the premier esoteric reference laboratory for hospitals, regional reference laboratories, physician office practices, and managed care organizations.
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