Lab21 to launch HIV diagnostic test in UK

Lab21 is launching a new diagnostic testing service for HIV which will make its easier for UK clinicians to identify suitable treatment methods for patients.

The company will be offering a companion diagnostic test for the ViiV Healthcare HIV drug Celsentri, allowing the sequence of a specific region of the virus, the V3 loop, to be determined.

This service will allow different strains of HIV to be identified and the most appropriate treatment to be selected, improving patient care and lessening healthcare costs.

Lab21 will be offering this service from its UK operation in Cambridge and is to receive samples from all parts of the world, while it also hopes to introduce the test at its US base in South Carolina at a later date.

Dr Berwyn Clarke, chief scientific officer of Lab21, said: "This new technology has been developed in the HIV field over the past few years and we have now introduced the protocols into the Lab21 service labs to provide a fully validated, fast turnaround assay."

Last week, the company announced that it will also be offering analysis of the human carboxylesterase-1 gene to laboratories worldwide after agreeing a deal with the Medical University of South Carolina's Foundation for Research Development.