MADISON, N.J., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics
(NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing,
information and services, today announced the availability of the
industry's first molecular blood test for identifying renal
(kidney) organ-transplant rejection. The Renal
Transplant Monitoring laboratory-developed test is designed to
help physicians detect kidney failure weeks before conventional
tests or clinical symptoms signify damage. The test may potentially
improve patient care for kidney transplant patients while helping
to lower sizeable healthcare costs associated with renal transplant
failure.
The new test is based on the RNA genetic markers forkhead box P3
(FoxP3), granzyme B (GZMB), and perforin (PRF1) licensed
exclusively from Boston-based Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a teaching hospital of
Harvard Medical School, and
New York City-based Weill Cornell
Medical College, the medical school of Cornell
University, among other markers. Quest Diagnostics has also
formed research and development collaboration agreements in the
area of renal transplantation with BIDMC and Weill Cornell Medical
College.
"Molecular diagnostics to noninvasively detect and predict
renal-transplant rejection and monitor the efficacy and safety of
pharmaceutical drug therapy and treatment withdrawal have the
potential to significantly improve treatment and outcomes for renal
transplant patients," said Terry
Strom, M.D., professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and co-director, The
Transplant Institute at BIDMC. "The first molecular test for this
purpose has opened the window to new opportunities for personalized
and more effective management of renal graft patients."
Dr. Strom and Manikkam Suthanthiran, M.D., professor of
medicine, surgery and biochemistry, chairman of the Department of
Transplantation Medicine, and chief of Nephrology and Hypertension,
Weill Cornell Medical College, have published research
demonstrating that certain biomarkers, including FoxP3, included in
the Quest Diagnostics test are useful in detecting acute cellular
rejection of renal tranplants.
Standard post-transplant monitoring involves lab testing of
serum creatinine, a marker of renal function, and renal biopsy, a
procedure which can cause bleeding and graft injury or loss.
Studies published by the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal
of Transplantation and other peer-reviewed journals demonstrate
that blood level elevations of biomarkers in the Quest Diagnostics'
test are associated with renal transplant rejection and often occur
before a rise in blood levels of serum creatinine. Earlier
detection of transplant rejection may spur interventions that help
to improve the likelihood of graft survival.
"Organ transplant failure not only affects patient outcomes and
quality of life, it also drives up healthcare costs," said
Stanley J. Naides, M.D., medical
director, Immunology, Quest Diagnostics. "Quest Diagnostics' new
renal monitoring test is an important medical innovation because it
has the potential to improve patients' lives while also helping to
reduce the significant expense of failed kidney transplants."
The median annual Medicare cost for a beneficiary whose kidney
transplant failed was $50,938 -- 500
percent more than the median annual Medicare cost for a beneficiary
with a functioning transplant, at $8,550, according to a 2007 report by the U.S.
Government Accountability Office.
The kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ. The number
of kidney transplants reached nearly 17,000 in 2009 in the United States. Approximately 70% of kidney
transplants from a deceased donor, the most common donor type, fail
within five years, according to the 2010 annual report of the U.S.
Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and the Scientific
Registry of Transplant Recipients.
Quest Diagnostics is a leader in organ transplant testing
services. The company provides testing services for all stages of
organ transplantation, from pre-transplant donor-patient matching
by Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) status to post-surgical organ and
therapeutic monitoring and infectious disease testing. In addition,
the company's AmeriPath business provides a full array of anatomic
pathology diagnostic tools, including light microscopy and advanced
immunofluorescent and ultrastructural analysis.
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic
testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to
make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest
access to diagnostic testing services through its network of
laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive
consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff.
Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic
tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that
help improve patient care. Additional company information is
available at QuestDiagnostics.com. Follow us at
Facebook.com/QuestDiagnostics and Twitter.com/QuestDX.
Quest, Quest Diagnostics, Focus Diagnostics, any associated
logos, and all associated Quest Diagnostics registered or
unregistered trademarks are the property of Quest Diagnostics. All
third-party marks are the property of their respective owners.
Quest Diagnostics Contacts:
Wendy Bost (Media):
973-520-2800
Kathleen Valentine (Investors):
973-520-2900
SOURCE Quest Diagnostics