FULLERTON, Calif., June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beckman Coulter, Inc. has been awarded a grant by the Imperial College London to develop a simple, affordable point-of-care (POC) test for monitoring CD4 lymphocytes in patients with HIV/AIDS. This important test is needed in resource-poor countries like sub-Saharan Africa to assess prognosis and aid in treatment decisions for HIV/AIDS patients.
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This grant is the second awarded to Beckman Coulter by Imperial College London’s CD4 Initiative, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The first grant, awarded in March of this year, provided funding for the development of quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) materials that will be used to verify the accuracy and validate the new test. Sybil D’Costa, Ph.D., staff advanced research scientist for Beckman Coulter’s Custom Biopharma Solutions, is the principal investigator on both projects.
Dr Hans-Georg Batz Ph.D., director of the CD4 Initiative at Imperial College London, said, “Currently we have funded and are exploring several different technologies to develop a rapid and robust test for CD4. Beckman Coulter’s proposal brings a different approach to the technologies being evaluated. Their unique point-of-care solution complements the other projects and expands the CD4 Initiative portfolio. In addition, Beckman Coulter’s experience in immunoassay development will further strengthen the CD4 Initiative team. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration in the coming months.”
Under the four-year grant, Beckman Coulter will begin working immediately with the Imperial College London to develop the robust new test designed for use in extreme environments and remote settings where electricity, clean water and trained healthcare technicians may or may not be available. The goal is that the new test will involve a finger prick blood sampling methodology and will require minimal technical expertise to decipher.
Wade Bolton, Ph.D., vice president of Beckman Coulter’s Custom BioPharma Solutions and Services, added, “We are developing this new test to work with a tiny blood sample taken from a patient’s finger. The sample will be added to a test vessel containing reagents designed to withstand elevated temperature. After a brief incubation period and a minimal number of handling steps, the CD4 test will be ready for evaluation through a simple ‘dip stick’ testing mechanism, similar to pregnancy tests available in the United States which allow for the visual indication of results.”
Prior to commercialization, the POC assay will be tested carefully by comparing its performance to Beckman Coulter’s gold standard, tetraONE(TM) CD4 cell enumeration system. Tests will be compared using blood from the same donor, and both normal and HIV positive samples will be evaluated to ensure the highest level of accuracy.
“Monitoring of CD4 T cell counts in HIV infected individuals is an essential part of staging HIV infection and disease progression,” said Bolton. “Currently there is no reasonable solution for providing reliable testing for HIV/AIDS under the extreme environmental conditions found in areas like sub- Saharan Africa. Accurate, rapid, affordable testing is absolutely necessary if we are to battle successfully the AIDS pandemic and prolong the life of those infected.”
Recent reports indicate there are nearly 40 million people living with HIV worldwide with 64 percent of them living in the extremely resource limited settings of sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, 75 percent of the total number of women infected with HIV and 90 percent of the total number of children reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Seventy-two percent of people who need antiretroviral therapy live in this region. Even more concerning are the staggering statistics estimated for as early as 2010, where as many as 85 million people worldwide may be infected with HIVAIDS, 40 million of whom will be in Africa.
About Beckman Coulter
Beckman Coulter, Inc., based in Fullerton, California, develops, manufactures and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical tests. More than 200,000 Beckman Coulter systems operate in laboratories around the world, supplying critical information for improving patient health and reducing the cost of care. Recurring revenue, consisting of supplies, test kits, service and operating-type lease payments, represents more than 75 percent of the company’s 2006 annual revenue of $2.53 billion. For more information, visit http://www.beckmancoulter.com.
Contact: Mary Luthy, Robert Raynor, Ph.D. Corp. Communications Investor Relations Beckman Coulter, Inc. Beckman Coulter, Inc. (714) 993-8770 (714) 773-7620 mluthy@beckman.comrraynor@beckmancoulter.com Dr. Steven Reid Imperial College (44) 207 594 2062
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031202/BECLOGOBeckman Coulter, Inc.
CONTACT: Mary Luthy, Corp. Communications, +1-714-993-8770,mluthy@beckman.com, or Robert Raynor, Ph.D., Investor Relations,+1-714-773-7620, rraynor@beckmancoulter.com, both of Beckman Coulter, Inc.;or Dr. Steven Reid of Imperial College (44) 207 594 2062
Web site: http://www.beckmancoulter.com/
