A patient’s journey does not stop at transplantation - protecting a donated organ or graft from rejection is key to the recipient’s success.
Amongst others Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), and BK Virus (BKV) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients.1 These infections can be introduced through the donor organ or reactivated within the recipient after the operation. By proactively and regularly monitoring viral load, care teams can identify possible infections early and better decide on an appropriate management plan.
A transplant patient’s journey can span several healthcare facilities, including transplant centres that may be far away from the coordinated care of one’s local specialist. The use of different testing methodologies across various sites makes it difficult to compare viral load results, not to mention that values are not always reported in the World Health Organization (WHO) international standard, where ease of commutability facilitates collaboration between care teams.
Global Head of Clinical Development & Medical Affairs at Roche Diagnostics, Alexandra Valsamakis, discusses the importance of standardized assays.
In addition to Roche’s serology tests to safeguard a transplant patient’s journey, the cobas® CMV, cobas® EBV and cobas® BKV tests are critical molecular tests specifically designed to elevate post-transplant monitoring.
These three post-transplant monitoring tests can run from a single patient sample on the fully automated cobas® 5800, cobas® 6800 and cobas® 8800 Systems, providing laboratories with trusted results quickly in a streamlined workflow. Ready-to-use reagents and controls are calibrated to WHO international standards, ensuring result comparison across healthcare institutions no matter where the tests are run.
With these tests, Roche now has a robust, comprehensive transplant portfolio spanning across serology and molecular diagnostics to enable confident decision making -- all to help clinicians protect a second chance in life.
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