Case Western, University Hospitals Develop Series of HIV Assays

Case Western Reserve University has entered into a deal with the Cleveland-based University Hospitals system to distribute a suite of tests that gauge drug sensitivity in patients with the HIV virus. The three tests, which will be marketed under the DEEPGEN™, VIRALARTS™ and VERITROP™ brands, were developed by researchers at the Case Western School of Medicine. The molecular-based assays will help determine how HIV-positive patients will react to specific doses of anti-retroviral drugs used to check the progression of the infection, as well as help predict rates of coreceptor tropism. A fourth test, a variant of the DEEPGEN assay to help determine anti-retroviral dosages for hepatitis C, will also be covered under the agreement when it becomes commercially available. The morphing of HIV into AIDS has been successfully controlled since the mid-1990s with the use of combinations of anti-retroviral drugs. However, determining effective dosages has often been a trial-and-error. “This new capability will clearly benefit patients with HIV infection in a more targeted manner, thereby impacting the quality of their life,” said Ronald E. Dziedzicki, chief operating officer at University Hospitals’ Case Medical Center, which will spearhead distribution. Miguel Quinones-Mateu, the Case Western assistant professor of pathology who codeveloped the assays, said they will initially be marketed in the region, but national distribution will eventually be sought. The DEEPGEN tests retail for $1,000 apiece, and volume is expected to be 1,000 monthly within the first six months, he added. The tests were developed at and will be offered in conjunction with University Hospitals’ Translational Laboratory, a 4,200-square-foot facility opened on the Case Hospital campus in 2011. Quinones-Mateu serves as its scientific director. Under the terms of the agreement, University Hospitals will pay Case Western a royalty based on sales volume, although specific financials were not disclosed.