Genaco Templex Test Detects All Known Strains of Avian Flu Within Four Hours
Proprietary Diagnostic Test Pinpoints Range of Respiratory Infections, Used to Contain SARS in Asia, Strep Pneumonia in Canada
Genaco Biomedical Products today announced that its Templex molecular diagnostic test can detect all known avian flu strains, as well as 24 other bacteria and viruses that cause respiratory infections, within four hours. Genaco’s technology is significantly more effective than other tests available today that can only detect one form of influenza. Healthcare workers in hospitals and clinics run the test with just one swab taken from a patient’s mouth or nose.
Templex technology is currently in use by many international healthcare authorities for avian flu and respiratory illness detection, including the Chinese Centers for Disease Control’s influenza laboratory, the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, and the New York Department of Public Health. Templex was deployed to China to detect and contain SARS outbreaks and in Vancouver to stop a widely-reported outbreak of streptococcus pneumonia.
The technology can be an important weapon against the spread of the avian flu, which experts predict could kill between 209,000 and 1.9 million Americans if it is not detected and contained early. President George W. Bush has allocated $251 million in his $7.1 billion Pandemic Influenza Plan for training and detection of avian flu in other countries in order to prevent an outbreak in the U.S.
“Until now public health officials have focused on finding treatments and vaccines for avian flu, but early detection is going to be central to containing this pandemic,” said Dennis Grimaud, CEO of Genaco. “Most diagnostic tests take up to two days to yield results – precious time that we do not have in the face of this fast-spreading disease. Templex pinpoints avian flu within four hours, allowing for those who are infected to be quickly quarantined and those who are not to breathe more easily again.”
Avian flu, widely reported by its scientific name H5N1, is currently transmitted from infected birds to humans. It is widely predicted that the disease will mutate and eventually be transmittable from human to human. If this occurs, several strains of H5N1 could develop, making the Templex diagnostic test invaluable since it detects multiple targets at once. The sophistication of Genaco’s technology is such that within one week, the company can adapt the test to detect any new virus mutation that is discovered.
Templex also can help alleviate panic among citizens and reduce unnecessary demands on the healthcare system by indicating within four hours whether a patient has avian flu or one of 20 other possible respiratory infections. Physicians can then reserve avian flu treatments for those actually infected with the disease and avoid treating those infected with traditional influenza or other respiratory disorders. The test also prevents the inappropriate use of antibiotics for treatment.
“Most available molecular tests detect only one or two targets,” said Jian Han, M.D., PhD, developer of the Genaco diagnostic assay. “Templex makes it possible to detect 20-40 pathogens at a time. Because of these multiplexing capabilities, we can detect 20-40 different bacterial or viral pathogens in one test. We can also detect multiple gene segments from H5N1 so that even if one mutated, we can still identify it by analyzing other parts of its genes.”
Genaco has worked with several partner companies and integrated different platforms to make the Templex assay easy to use. Cortex Biochem and PSS Bio Instruments provide the sample preparation technologies. For high throughput detection, Genaco uses a bead array technology developed by Austin, TX-based Luminex Corporation.
About Genaco Biomedical Products
Genaco Biomedical Products (www.genaco.com), Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama provides molecular differential diagnostic technologies for rapid and accurate identification of disease. Genaco is an innovator in the development of multiplex differential diagnostic assays through the incorporation of proprietary technologies with the Luminex xMAP platform.