Using Exclusion-Based Sample Preparation (ESP) to Reduce Viral Load Assay Cost.

ABSTRACT: Viral load (VL) measurements are critical to the proper management of HIV in developing countries. However, access to VL assays is limited by the high cost and complexity of existing assays. While there is a need for low cost VL assays, performance must not be compromised. Thus, new assays must be validated on metrics of limit of detection (LOD), accuracy, and dynamic range. Patient plasma samples from the Joint Clinical Research Centre in Uganda were de-identified and measured using both an existing VL assay (Abbott RealTime HIV-1) and our assay, which combines low cost reagents with a simplified method of RNA isolation termed Exclusion-Based Sample Preparation (ESP).71 patient samples with VLs ranging from <40 to >3,000,000 copies/mL were used to compare the two methods. We demonstrated

SUBMITTER: Berry SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4667969 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature