Key scientific facts about the new Rapid Ebola Pre

Key scientific facts about the new Rapid Ebola Pre-Symptom Screening Test:

" Once validation tests are completed, the Rapid Ebola Pre-Symptom Screening Test can be readily implemented in the field using existing methods. IES Diagnostics’ test uses PCR (polymerase chain reaction), the same test approach currently used to detect Ebola virus RNA. Also, clinical samples are collected, stored and transported the same way those from antibody Ebola tests are.

This pivotal interferon signature screening tool is the only test in the world that can diagnose a person’s response to Ebola infection several days before viral RNA is measurably detected.

Tests identifying Ebola antibodies through protein detection are less sensitive than IES Diagnostics’ interferon signature testing. Antibody detection tests also are limited in that they must be used when antibody levels are robust enough for detection—days to weeks following exposure. Additionally, antibody tests are surrogate markers of exposure, and do not necessarily indicate active infection.

“Interferon response is the ideal rapid diagnostic tool since it appears immediately after cells are infected with a virus,” explains Ronald Jubin, PhD, molecular biologist and Founder/President of IES Diagnostics, Inc. “Because each response is virus-specific, we can tell if someone has Ebola based on the interferon signature that appears.”

“Being able to test people long before they are contagious is a critical turning point in the fight against Ebola,” Jubin says. “Our ultimate target is to develop a handheld device capable of producing a result within minutes of infection.”

IES Diagnostics’ interferon signature-based technology was developed collaboratively with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and licensed exclusively to IES Diagnostics, Inc. by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)."