Lab21 signs a license with Celera for one of the first diagnostic tests for cirrhosis risk in hepatitis C patients

Lab21, a leading provider of health and environmental diagnostics, today announces that it has obtained a licence from Celera, an Applera Corporation business, to provide access to its test for cirrhosis risk in patients with chronic hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection in the UK and Ireland.

The test, known as CRS7, is the first clinical test capable of predicting the likelihood of an HCV patient’s risk of progressing to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. The availability of this test will substantially aid in the clinical management of HCV patients by ensuring they receive accurate, personalised treatment. The test has been clinically validated through multi-centre studies in North America.

Dr Berwyn Clarke, Chief Scientific and Development Officer for Lab21, commented: “We are delighted to extend our reach and experience of hepatology diagnostic tests through our partnership with Celera. Together with our existing diagnostic capabilities we believe that we now have the most comprehensive portfolio of clinical management tools for liver disease currently available and we hope that these will substantially assist in improved outcomes for patients with chronic HCV across the UK and Ireland.”

Lab21 already offers cutting-edge tools for clinical management of hepatitis and Celera will utilise the company’s experience in delivering diagnostic services to the UK and Irish markets across a number of sectors including private clinics, hepatology research centres, NHS clinical research settings & private hospital networks. In addition, the availability of this revolutionary new test will substantially assist in the clinical development of new anti-fibrotic and anti-hepatitis drugs.

“This deal with Lab21 will increase the availability of the CRS7 liver test for patients,” said John Sninsky, Ph.D., Vice President Discovery Research at Celera. “Lab21 has significant expertise in the field of liver diagnostics, coupled with a strong network, and we anticipate that this test may become a standard for managing patients infected with hepatitis C virus.”