IBT Laboratories to Launch New Pneumococcal Antibody Avidity Test at AAAAI Meeting, Booth 729

Test builds on company’s suite of tests to evaluate immune function

LENEXA, Kan., March 12 /PRNewswire/ — IBT Laboratories, a leading clinical-diagnostics and biomedical-research laboratory specializing in immunology and allergy assays, will launch a new diagnostic assay designed to help physicians better understand and manage their patients who have recurrent infections. The company will introduce the Pneumococcal Antibody Avidity Test at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI), which opens tomorrow in Washington, DC. The exhibition runs Saturday, March 14 through Monday, March 16, 2009.

According to IBT President, Maureen Loftus, the test builds on the company’s suite of assays evaluating immune function. “IBT Laboratories was one of the first laboratories to develop a commercial pneumococcal assay to measure the concentration of antibodies produced in response to the pneumococcal vaccines – today, one of the most-widely prescribed tests used to determine why a patient has recurrent infections. Our new Avidity test now lets the clinician assess the effectiveness of those antibodies. Together, these pneumococcal tests provide more insight into the strengths and weaknesses of a patient’s immune system.”

IBT offers the widest range of allergy and immunology tests of any laboratory worldwide. The company has an expanded scientific team dedicated specifically to assay development. Its pipeline of new tests slated for launch during 2009 includes traditional and molecular assays based on the latest findings in allergy/immunology research.

Other new tests that the company will feature at AAAAI include the ProGenotyper(TM) Filaggrin Mutation Detection Test, the latest in IBT’s expanding menu of molecular assays, and the T-Cell Rx(TM) assay, which adds to IBT’s expansive line of tests for adverse drug reactions. The Filaggrin test builds on the company’s growing list of tests to investigate skin diseases. It determines whether a patient who presents with the common skin disorders atopic dermatitis or ichthyosis vugaris has a mutation that prevents the skin from working as an effective barrier to allergens and infectious agents. Current research suggests that patients with this mutation may benefit from targeted therapy. The new T-Cell Rx(TM) test assists physicians in assessing patients who have experienced a delayed drug reaction.

IBT will present two scientific posters at the conference:

• Saturday, 9:45-10:45 am – # 41: T Cell Immunity Assessed by Intracellular Cytokine Analysis Following Stimulation of Whole Blood or PBMCs with Microbial Antigens of Mitogens
• Sunday, 9:45-10:45 am – # 405: Presence of IgG Anti-IgE Autoantibodies in Chronic Urticaria and Atopic Dermatitis

About IBT Laboratories

A clinical diagnostic and research laboratory specializing in immunology and allergy testing, IBT tests patient samples for physicians, hospitals, and commercial reference labs nationwide. IBT also provides biomarker and immunogenicity testing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and life-science researchers. Founded in 1983, IBT is privately held and centrally located in Lenexa, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City.

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SOURCE IBT Laboratories