Accurate monitoring of CD4 T lymphocyte levels in HIV infected individuals is a critical element for the use of anti-retroviral drugs, as it guides physicians in determining when to begin treatment
Guava Technologies and AHF Global Immunity have announced a partnership aimed at increasing access in resource-limited nations to Aids diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
The partnership will initially focus on making Guava's EasyCD4 system for direct, absolute CD4 T cell counts available at five sites in rural locations in Uganda and South Africa.
Once the feasibility of using the EasyCD4 system in these regions is demonstrated, AHF Global Immunity and Guava Technologies plan to cooperate in more broadly incorporating the testing system's use in HIV/Aids clinics around the world.
"Accurate monitoring of CD4 T lymphocyte levels in HIV infected individuals is a critical element for the use of anti-retroviral drugs, as it guides physicians in determining when to begin drug treatment and is a key measure of the effectiveness of that therapy," said Henry Chang, executive director, AHF Global Immunity.
"With many resource-limited areas of the world now gaining access to more affordable anti-retroviral drugs, accurate but simpler, more portable and less costly methods of CD4 testing are urgently needed.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Guava Technologies to bring such testing to several regions of Africa where the need is especially great".
"Until now, the cost of commercially available CD4 diagnostic testing for patient monitoring has remained very high, and access to affordable, accurate testing methods - especially in areas outside of major urban centers - very low," said Jeff Harvey, vice president of customer solutions at Guava Technologies.
"Multi-site clinical studies suggest that CD4 T cell enumeration conducted on the EasyCD4 represents a good, significantly lower-cost alternative to approved 'gold-standard' flow cytometry methods.
"The Guava assays offer comparable accuracy and reproducibility to flow cytometry-based tests, but are much simpler and up to 20 times more affordable to use.
"Moreover, the EasyCD4 system offers the ability to provide a more comprehensive testing system, capable of running additional assays on its easy-to-use, benchtop instrument".
He noted that Guava was currently optimising a CD4 percent assay, as well as developing viral load assay and other clinical tests for use on the EasyCD4 system.
A number of regulatory organisations around the world have indicated that new guidelines for HIV/Aids diagnosis and monitoring will recommend the use of CD4 percent tests for monitoring pediatric HIV/Aids patients.
