NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aegis Sciences Corporation, a leading healthcare company that provides clinically innovative medication compliance testing and consulting services to providers, will serve as a reference laboratory for COVID-19 Antibody Testing being directed by Federal, State, and Local COVID-19 Response Task Forces, or ordered by physicians and other authorized healthcare providers. The test is capable of detecting IgG antibodies, a marker that indicates development of an immune response in an individual that was previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The antibody test is for use in patients who meet current guidance for COVID-19 evaluation and management.
Aegis will launch COVID-19 Antibody Testing utilizing a platform that allows for testing of a dried blood spot specimen on August 31st and is ready to accept samples and perform up to 10,000 tests per day with a 24-hour turnaround time. Due to Aegis’s unique capability to test a dried blood spot sample, testing will be able to be completed without the need of an invasive blood draw currently required by most other labs. “Our test combines Aegis’s industry-leading quality and lab operations excellence with the convenience of dried blood spot specimen collection. By allowing patients to avoid a painful and inconvenient blood draw, we improve access to testing and provide physicians and those tested a fast, high quality, inexpensive, hassle-free option. Our dedicated team of laboratory scientists has worked diligently to leverage Aegis’s extensive capabilities in dried blood spot technology and moved quickly to offer this valuable diagnostic tool to aid in the fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Frank Basile, CEO of Aegis Sciences Corporation.
Aegis Sciences Corporation has validated and launched a qualitative antibody test capable of detecting IgG antibodies with a 24-hour turnaround time. The lab will utilize a solid phase, fluoroimmunometric assay with specificity of 99.9% and sensitivity of 96.1%. Samples are to be collected using a finger-stick method to allow for collection of a dried blood spot specimen. The testing is performed in a highly automated manner to ensure accuracy, precision, and reproducibility. “Aegis’s COVID-19 Antibody test offering has been developed and validated in accordance with FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) requirements and will provide an extremely sensitive and specific result in a timely manner to enable the Department of Health (DOH), physicians, and patients to make the best decisions possible,” said Dr. Matthew Hardison, SVP Lab Operations Aegis Sciences Corporation.
“We believe this is a critical piece in building an understanding of how much of the U.S. population has developed an immune response to the virus after being exposed. This may be a marker for infection history and help efforts to mitigate a potential fall resurgence,” said Dr. Frank Basile, CEO of Aegis Sciences Corporation.
Aegis will report testing results to State Departments of Health and to the CDC in accordance with applicable public health emergency response requirements. Aegis is accredited for all testing it performs under its College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation #8853197.
Aegis also offers COVID-19 Viral testing and has the capacity to perform 30,000 tests per day and more than 750,000 tests per month with a 24 to 48-hour turnaround time.
For more information and details about how you can access Aegis’s COVID-19 testing service, please visit www.aegislabs.com, email COVIDtest@aegislabs.com or call 615-99COVID (615.992.6843).
About Aegis Sciences Corporation
Founded in 1990, Aegis Sciences Corporation is a laboratory sciences company based in Nashville, Tenn., that provides science-driven testing and consulting services for clients such as healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, professional and amateur sports organizations, leading college and university athletic programs, Fortune 500 corporations, and government agencies throughout the United States. For more information please visit http://www.aegislabs.com/.
Contact:
Minh Le
Phone Number: 615-610-0310
Email: mle@seigenthaler.com