Quest Diagnostics Incorporated announced that it is the first reference laboratory to commercially offer Roche Diagnostics' new, FDA-approved Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Test, Version 1.5 for HIV-1 viral load testing. The test is available to physicians through Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute in San Juan Capistrano, California.

The new Monitor 1.5 offers an advantage over its earlier version Monitor 1.0, which physicians use to accurately and precisely measure the quantity of circulating HIV-1 virus in plasma of infected patients ("viral load"). Monitor 1.5 can detect the full range of HIV viral subtypes that scientists have identified to date, and which until recently were particular to specific geographic regions. While the majority of HIV-1 isolates reported in the western hemisphere, Europe, and Australia continue to belong to subtype B, and while non-B subtypes A, C, D and E continue to be prevalent in Africa and Southeast Asia, global travel is facilitating the broad distribution of all HIV-1 subtypes worldwide.

"With reports of non-B subtypes increasing globally, the ability of a test to detect and quantify these diverse subtypes is crucial to quality HIV patient care and treatment decision-making," said Peter N.R. Heseltine, Medical Director, Infectious Diseases at Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute. "We are excited to be the first laboratory to commercially offer this new version of Monitor, which has been established as the standard of care for assessing disease prognosis, response to drug therapy and future treatment decisions."

The Roche Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Test, Version 1.5 is based on Roche's Nobel Prize-winning Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology, which is considered to be the gold standard in testing for HIV. PCR provides laboratories with the ability to both amplify and identify specific DNA or RNA sequences from a sample of blood. The original Amplicor HIV-1 Monitor Test was the first FDA-approved test to accurately and precisely measure the quantity of circulating HIV-1 virus in plasma.

In addition to the Monitor 1.5 test, Quest Diagnostics offers a complete menu of HIV diagnostic tests, including HIV-1 Genotypic and Phenotypic resistance tests.