Magellan Biosciences subsidiary ESA Biosciences launched a new FDA-cleared test to assess vitamin D sufficiency at the 2011 AACC/ASCLS Clinical Lab Expo. Vitamin D deficiency is at epidemic proportions in the general population, yet recent studies link it to conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders—to depression, stroke, and several forms of cancer. Consequently, physicians are ordering vitamin D tests in record numbers, straining the send-out budgets of many labs.

The ESA Biosciences Vitamin D HPLC Test for the determination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in serum or plasma, comprising of a reagent kit and test system, detects each form of vitamin D individually and automatically reports total 25(OH)D with none of the antibody or protein-binding specificity issues associated with existing assays. The ESA Vitamin D HPLC Test provides accurate and specific results as demonstrated through comparison with other methods (HPLC-UV and LC-MS), but offers simplified extraction and lower sample-volume requirements.

ESA also featured its CLIA-waived LeadCare® II system at the show. The device can be used with a capillary or venous sample, can be combined with other routine waived blood tests, and saves administrative time spent on paperwork, tracking, and follow-up.

TREK Diagnostic Systems, another Magellan Biosciences subsidiary, demonstrated automated systems and assays that address the growing problem of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. TREK’s Sensititre® Automated Susceptibility and Identification Testing System delivers MIC values on the toughest bugs, and labs can test—on a single cost-effective, LIS-compatible system—more FDA-cleared antimicrobial therapies than any other platform (240+) against the widest range of non-fastidious and fastidious bacteria and yeasts. Sensititre can accurately detect and report MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VISA (vancomycin intermediate Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (vanocomycin-resistant Enterococci), and KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase) isolates.

Source: Magellan Biosciences