PathoQuest, a life sciences leader focused on improving pathogen identification in biological samples, today announced that it will conduct research with Mayo Clinic to study the company’s proprietary iDTECT™ Blood test.
Mayo Clinic will explore the use of iDTECT Blood in the context of a prospective study designed to confirm the utility of a next generation sequencing-based metagenomic approach to identify pathogens in patients with neutropenic fever. PathoQuest will work with Robin Patel, M.D., Chair, Division of Clinical Microbiology and Director of the Infectious Disease Research Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic to conduct the study.
“We are delighted to work with Dr. Patel and Mayo Clinic to study the effects of iDTECT Blood in the diagnostic workup of immunocompromised patients suspected of infection,” said Helene Peyro-Saint-Paul, M.D., PathoQuest’s Chief Medical Officer. “Mayo Clinic’s experience with the use of metagenomic sequencing to identify pathogens responsible for infections aligns well with PathoQuest’s expertise in this field.”
Dr. Peyro-Saint Paul added: “Standard approaches like blood cultures often fail to identify a causative organism in patients with febrile neutropenia. The demonstrated ability of iDTECT Blood to improve the identification of bacteria and RNA and DNA viruses should lead to a more precise and rapid determination of the clinically relevant microorganisms.”