WHEAT RIDGE, Colo., Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GeneThera, Inc. , announces it will soon begin offering its Real Time PCR test for Johne’s disease through its Wheat Ridge, Colo. laboratory.
GeneThera is set to begin offering its Johne’s disease testing service as soon as January of 2009. According to GeneThera Chairman, Dr. Tony Milici MD, Ph.D., “We expect to be offering our real time PCR test for Johne’s disease, called HerdGuard(TM) by the first of the year on a commercial level. We are already receiving inquiries from several companies as to the availability of the service.”
The company states that its PCR test is much more accurate and timely than what is commonly available today. There are other PCR tests available, but what makes GeneThera’s service different is exactly that... service. According to the company; “the other PCR tests that are available require the purchase of a test kit from one supplier, and then forwarding the collected samples to a completely different company for analyzing. In other words, the customer has to collect the samples (usually fecal) and send the collected samples to a separate approved laboratory for actual testing. This means the customer is responsible for finding the lab, negotiating the cost of the testing, shipping, and retrieving the results. GeneThera’s service is all inclusive. Using their trademarked Field Collection System (FCS(TM)), the client collects the sample (blood, milk, fecal, or colostrum), and then returns them to GeneThera’s lab for testing and reporting of the results. The results will be available to customers via a secured web page on GeneThera’s website. Everything is included in the price from GeneThera. Pricing is expected to be between $25 and $32 per test, and results are typically available within 24-48 hours of receipt of the samples.”
According to a recent study, the infected rate of dairy cattle in the US is approximately 22%. That would mean more than 22 million cattle currently carry the disease in the United States. That same study also reported that the cost of the disease to ranchers and industry is between $40 and $227 per animal in a herd. The costs are mostly associated with poor milk production, poor condition of the animal, and loss of weight at weaning of calves
About Johne’s disease (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis)
The bacterium that causes Johne’s disease is named Mycobacterium paratuberculosis: often the name is abbreviated M. paratuberculosis. Cattle become infected with M. paratuberculosis as calves but often do not develop clinical signs until 2 to 5 yr of age (29). The primary route of infection is through ingestion of fecal material, milk, or colostrums containing M. paratuberculosis microorganisms. Once ingested, M. paratuberculosis survive and replicate within macrophages in the wall of the intestine and in regional lymph nodes. After an incubation period of several years, extensive granulomatous inflammation occurs in the terminal small intestine, leading to malabsorption and protein-losing enteropathy. Cattle shed minimal amounts of M. paratuberculosis in their feces during the sub clinical phase of infection, and yet, over time, this shedding can lead to significant contamination of the environment and an insidious spread of infection throughout the herd.
Diagnosis of paratuberculosis is difficult because of the fastidious growth pattern of the microorganism and because of the paradoxical immune response of the host animal to infection. During the early sub clinical stages of infection, the microorganism elicits a cell-mediated response by the host that can be characterized by strong delayed-type IV hypersensitivity reactions, lymphocyte proliferative responses to mitogens, and production of cytokines by stimulated T lymphocytes. As the disease progresses from sub clinical to clinical stages, the cell-mediated immune response wanes, and a strong humoral response predominates.
About Real Time PCR
Traditionally, PCR is performed in a tube and when the reaction is complete the products of the reaction (the amplified DNA fragments) are analyzed and visualized by gel electrophoresis. However, Real-Time PCR permits the analysis of the products while the reaction is actually in progress. This is achieved by using various fluorescent dyes which react with the amplified product and can be measured by an instrument. This also facilitates the quantization of the DNA. Not only can one tell instantly “what” DNA is present in the sample but also “how much.” Quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), as this technique is known, is used to measure the quantity of a PCR product (usually in a real-time PCR procedure). It is the method of choice to quantitatively measure starting amounts of DNA, cDNA or RNA. PCR is therefore often used to determine whether a DNA sequence is present in a sample and the number of its copies in the sample. Another advantage of Real-Time PCR is rapidity of the assay, since it is not necessary to perform electrophoresis or other procedure after the DNA amplification reaction.
ABOUT GENETHERA, INC.
GeneThera, Inc. is a molecular biotechnology company located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The Company provides genetic diagnostic solutions for the veterinary and agricultural industries with future plans to include the healthcare industry. The Company’s proprietary diagnostic solution is based on a genetic expression assay, GES(TM), a protocol designed to function on a highly automated Fluorogenic PCR platform. This platform enables GeneThera to offer tests that are presently not available from other technologies. The GES is designed for a host of individual diseases, the current priorities being Mad Cow disease, Chronic Wasting Disease, E. coli 0157:H7 and Johne’s disease, all diseases affecting cattle worldwide. For more information, contact Dr. Tony Milici at 303-463-6371 or Al Goldsmith of The Goldsmith Group LLC at 303-838-4370.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the Safe-Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “intends,” “believes,” and similar expressions reflecting something other than historical fact are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance of products and technologies, the ability to secure additional sources of finance, the ability to reduce operating expenses, and other factors described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The actual results that the Company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statement due to such risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.
Dr. Tony Milici 303-463-6371
The Goldsmith Group 303-838-4370
JR Dopkin & Associates 516-884-3200
CONTACT: Dr. Tony Milici of GeneThera, Inc., +1-303-463-6371; or Al
Goldsmith of The Goldsmith Group LLC, +1-303-838-4370; or JR Dopkin &
Associates, +1-516-884-3200, both for GeneThera, Inc.
