• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Receives Donation of CD4 Testing Machines

Posted on: Monday, 18 December 2006, 09:01 CST

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest AIDS healthcare, prevention and education provider in the United States which operates free AIDS treatment clinics in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia, is pleased to announce an in-kind donation by Laboratory Corporation of America(R) Holdings (LabCorp(R)), one of the world's largest clinical laboratories, of three Guava EasyCD4(TM) testing machines made by Guava Technologies, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology and medical device company. The CD4 machines, which measure CD4+ T lymphocyte levels used to determine the progression of HIV infection and response to anti-HIV treatment, will be utilized in AHF's free treatment clinics in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Swaziland, and will increase AHF's ability to offer AIDS diagnostic and treatment monitoring services in rural areas of these countries.

Accurate monitoring of CD4+ T lymphocyte levels in HIV-infected individuals is a critical element for the use of anti-retroviral drugs -- used to treat HIV -- as it guides physicians in determining when to begin drug treatment and is a key measure of the effectiveness of that therapy. With many resource-limited areas of the world now gaining access to more affordable anti-retroviral drugs, accurate but simpler, more portable and less costly methods of CD4+ testing are urgently needed.

"We are grateful to LabCorp for its generous donation of three Guava CD4 machines which will strengthen AHF's ability to provide AIDS diagnosis and treatment monitoring in these three resource-constrained countries," said Charles Farthing, M.D., AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Chief of Medicine. "Because AHF's clinics are located in rural areas, having portable, reliable and efficient laboratory services on site are a vital part of ensuring the delivery of high-quality care and treatment to our patients. These three new CD4 monitoring machines will enable AHF to offer more testing in these remote areas and ultimately bring more people into treatment."

In fulfilling its mission to provide cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to people living with HIV/AIDS, AHF strives to set up laboratory services that are cost-effective and of the highest quality. In doing so, patients are assured prompt and accurate test results and can be referred into appropriate treatment and care quickly and efficiently.

"We are pleased to have been the recipient of this donation and would like to applaud LabCorp for recognizing the urgent need to strengthen CD4 monitoring capacity in resource-constrained settings where the need is especially great," added Henry E. Chang, AHF's Chief of Global Affairs.

About AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the US' largest provider of HIV/AIDS healthcare, education and prevention, which operates free AIDS treatment clinics in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia. The organization's mission is to provide cutting-edge medicine and advocacy, regardless of ability to pay.

Domestically, AHF operates 14 outpatient health care centers in two states, California and Florida; AHF pharmacies; MediCal and Medicare AIDS-specific managed care programs; access to state-of-the-art clinical research drug trials; alternative HIV prevention education and testing programs; and Out of the Closet Thrift Stores.

Internationally, AHF Global brings lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy to developing and resource-poor countries including: South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, India, Cambodia, Viet Nam, China, Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras. Our approach is simple: we work with local organizations and train local people to provide ARV treatment. Our innovative AHF Medic Program trains non-medical personnel to assist doctors and nurses in proving HIV/AIDS treatment. This enables the physicians to see more people, thereby improving access to care.

About LabCorp

Laboratory Corporation of America(R) Holdings (LabCorp(R)) is much more than a routine clinical laboratory. As a pioneer in genomic testing and the commercialization of new diagnostic technologies, LabCorp is one of the world's largest clinical laboratories, with annual revenues of $3.3 billion in 2005. Headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina, LabCorp has approximately 25,000 employees and offers a broad range of genomic/esoteric tests. Listed under the ticker symbol LH on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), LabCorp tests more than 380,000 specimens daily for over 220,000 clients nationwide.

About the Guava EasyCD4(TM)

The Guava EasyCD4(TM) system and assay represent an optimized, integrated system of reagents, software and instrumentation. Guava Technologies' microcapillary cytometry technology enables the instrument to be highly compact, portable and low-maintenance. Performance of the Guava assays is quite simple, with even novice users learning to use the EasyCD4 method in just a day or two. Testing requires only 10 microliters of whole blood per patient, making the method suitable for use in pediatric as well as adult patients. The Guava EasyCD4 assay also requires far less reagent per sample than other testing methods, dramatically lowering the overall costs of performing the assay. Moreover, the Guava EasyCD4(TM) assay does not require nearly the amount of dedicated laboratory infrastructure. The system also does not require large amounts of buffered water as sheath fluid that are required by conventional flow cytometers. The elimination of the use of sheath fluid also results in less bio-hazardous waste and significantly further reduces the running costs of using the system. Daily maintenance is minimal -- just a fast and easy 5 minute clean and shutdown procedure performed at the end of each day.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation

CONTACT: Lori Yeghiayan, Associate Director of Communications,+1-323-860-5227, or mobile, +1-323-377-4312, or Ged Kenslea, CommunicationsDirector, +1-323-860-5225, or mobile, +1-323-791-5526, both of AIDS HealthcareFoundation

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category