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At IMUGEN: Kimberly Beasley
Assoc. VP Marketing & Development
220 Norwood Park South
Norwood, MA 02062
781-255-0770
At Sunrise: Larry Siedlick
CEO
240 Motor Parkway
Hauppauge, NY 11788
631-435-1552
At Corixa: Michelle Burris
Vice President, CFO
1124 Columbia Street Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98104
206-754-5711
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May, 2000. NORWOOD, MA - IMUGEN, Inc. announced today yet another breakthrough in the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases, which will enable doctors to better diagnose ehrlichiosis. Utilizing patented recombinant antigens in collaboration with Corixa, Corp., Seattle, WA, IMUGEN, Inc. has developed new laboratory tests capable of more accurately identifying patients with Human Granulocytic Ehrlichia, also known as HGE.
HGE is the most common form of this recently recognized disease in the northeastern United States and the number of reported cases has been increasing annually. It is transmitted by the deer tick, which also transmits Lyme disease. Accurate diagnosis of this emerging disease is crucial, since symptoms can be confused with Lyme disease and fatal cases have been reported.
IMUGEN developed the new antibody test utilizing recombinant antigens obtained under exclusive license from Corixa. The NY State Department of Health played a crucial role in the refinement and validation of this third generation test, two years in development. The new test diagnosed 80% of recently infected patients versus the traditional laboratory test, which only identified 44% of infected patients and was able to distinguish patients with HGE from patients with other diseases, including other tick-borne diseases more than 98% of the time.
"We are pleased to be able to offer this exciting new assay. It offers doctors a significantly better tool to aid them in the diagnosis of this important tick-borne disease," said Victor Berardi, CEO of IMUGEN. "Even further refinement of the current assay is continuing with both Corixa Corp. and the NY Department of Health."
"The difficulty in obtaining an accurate diagnosis of HGE has been a serious impediment to recognition of this emerging tick-borne disease. This test was developed on the basis of sophisticated antigen discovery techniques pioneered by Corixa, and it is likely to have a big impact on the early diagnosis and management of the disease," said David H. Persing, MD, Ph.D., Vice President and Director of Diagnostics at Corixa Corporation.
The new test is available from IMUGEN, Inc. in Norwood, MA and through Sunrise Medical Laboratories, Long Island, NY.
About IMUGEN: IMUGEN, Inc. is a privately held Reference Diagnostic Laboratory located in Norwood, MA. IMUGEN is regarded as an industry leader and has pioneered research and development of highly specialized testing for tick-borne and other diseases.
About Sunrise: Sunrise Medical Laboratories, Hauppauge, NY, is a leading regional provider of diagnostic lab services for physicians and hospitals, offering advanced biomedical testing services that support diagnosis and treatment of medical diseases.
About Corixa: Corixa Corporation, located in Seattle, WA, is a development-stage biotechnology company founded in September 1994. The company is focused on the discovery and early clinical development of proprietary vaccines and diagnostics.Press Releases
220 Norwood Park South
Norwood, MA 02062
1-800-246-8436
1-781-255-0770
