New Molecular Assays for Hepatitis B and C

A suite of new molecular assays, based on RNA/DNA technology, is designed to improve the management of patients with hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV).

A sensitive viral load test, QuantaSure, is capable of detecting HCV down to as few as 2 International Units (IU) per ml. The test will enable doctors to be more confident about assessing viral clearance in their patients. A similar sensitive DNA test, SuperQuant, allows for the measurement of HBV levels with viral loads below the detectable limit of tests currently available. Both assays are from Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp, Burlington, NC, USA).

The company will soon introduce the HCV QuantaSure Plus test, based on next-generation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology known as "TaqMan real time PCR.” This test features similar levels of sensitivity as the QuantaSure, says LabCorp, but will offer the broadest dynamic range available in quantitative testing: 10-100 million IU/ml. This type of test will allow doctors to more accurately measure treatment response in patients with high viral levels and more closely assess the likelihood of cure at the end of treatment. LabCorp is also developing a new hepatitis B GenoSure resistance test, capable of detecting all currently known mutations that contribute to HBV drug resistance.

"No longer does the diagnosis of these infections precede a life of continuous therapeutic trial and error for the patient,” said Myla P. Lai-Goldman, M.D., executive vice president and chief scientific officer at LabCorp. "Advances in molecular medicine like LabCorp's suite of hepatitis B and C tests, as well as improved therapeutics, result in far better patient management and enhanced quality of life.”




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