Exagen Diagnostics Inc announced the availability of two new genomic blood tests to assist physicians with diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
The eXaIBStest identifies patients with IBS, while the eXaIBD test identifies patients with IBD. Compared with other available laboratory tests, Exagen’s assays produce significantly more accurate test results, providing physicians with more reliable data to aid in diagnosing their patients. The tests were invented using Coperna(TM), Exagen’s proprietary genomic data mining software.
"Until now, physicians have relied on a wide range of tests and procedures to aid in the diagnosis of IBS and IBD, including blood tests with limited diagnostic performance," said Exagen President and CEO John Alsobrook, Ph.D. "Approximately 30 million people in the United States suffer from these diseases. Exagen’s tests offer physicians several distinct diagnostic advantages, such as increased sensitivity, and we are pleased to make them readily available."
Exagen’s tests are RNA-based, and require a single tube of peripheral blood. To support the front-end specimen handling and logistics, Exagen has signed a partnership agreement with Lenexa, Kansas-based Clinical Reference Laboratory (CRL), one of the nation’s largest privately held clinical laboratories. This partnership enables Exagen to significantly expand its testing capacity.
"Exagen Diagnostics has developed an extremely promising series of diagnostic assays for gastrointestinal diseases," said Heather Newkirk, Ph.D., CLSp (MB), Executive Director of Molecular Diagnostics at CRL. "We welcome the opportunity to partner with them in bringing these important tests to the physician community."
Exagen will present the tests at Digestive Disease Week 2009 in Chicago, May 30 to June 4, booth #2429.
Source: Exagen Diagnostics, Inc.
