Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) has introduced a genetic test to detect the presence of a single polymorphism within the IL-28B gene that predicts a person’s response to certain hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapies.
LabCorp said that the assay is commercially available for patient testing and clinical trials.
LabCorp chief medical officer Mark Brecher said that this test represents an important addition to the management and treatment of HCV infections, and complements the current company test portfolio for this disease.
“The ability to detect the polymorphism within the IL-28B gene may help predict the response to treatments, leading to an improvement in patient care and a reduction in treatment costs,” Brecher said.
LabCorp said that specific variants in the gene have been associated with an approximately 2-3 fold greater rate of sustained viral suppression in response to treatment with combination pegylated interferon alfa/ribavirin therapy among patients infected with HCV genotype 1 with a CC genotype as compared with either the CT or TT genotypes.
The test is available for patient testing through LabCorp’s Centers of Excellence, Monogram Biosciences and The Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology (CMBP) and also available through Esoterix Clinical Trials Services for clinical trials. LabCorp has licensed global rights to this marker from Merck.