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ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS INTRODUCES SOLUBLE TRANSFERRIN RECEPTOR ASSAY
FOR ROCHE/HITACHI AND COBAS INTEGRA® CHEMISTRY SYSTEMS
INDIANAPOLIS (July 30, 2001) - Today, Roche Diagnostics announces
the availability of the soluble Transferrin Receptor (sTfR) assay
for use on the Roche/Hitachi and COBAS Integra chemistry platforms.
This completes the anemia disease management portfolio, which includes
B12, ferritin, folate, haptoglobin, iron, transferrin, UIBC and
RBC folate. It also represents the addition of yet another important
assay to Roche Diagnostics' easy-to-use, high-throughput special
protein chemistry menu to support timely clinical decision making.
The sTfR assay monitors functional iron and is a valuable tool
for the differential diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and
anemia of chronic disease (ACD). An elevated level of sTfR indicates
over-expression of the sTfR receptor on the surface membrane of
erythropoietic cells, which is a result of intracellular iron deficiency
and often precedes significant lowering of hemoglobin concentration.
By contrast, ferritin is an indicator of stored iron and is associated
with ACD. Just as important, sTfR is not affected by liver damage,
inflammation or pregnancy. As a routine, noninvasive test, the STfR
assay offers a level of diagnostic information comparable to that
obtained through iron staining of bone marrow aspirates.
The sTfR assay is available for Roche/Hitachi 911, 912, 917 and
MODULAR® Systems analyzers, as well as COBAS Integra 400, 700
and 800 analyzers. For operational and cost efficiency, the assay
is supplied in liquid, ready-to-use format and offers onboard stability
of up to 12 weeks (90 days on Roche/Hitachi analyzers).
The addition of the sTfR assay to the Roche product portfolio demonstrates
Roche's commitment to providing innovative solutions that improve
patient care and increase cost efficiency. Some examples of such
innovative solutions include the recent addition of the D-Dimer
assay to the automated chemistry platforms; whole blood hemoglobin
A1c for diabetes management on the COBAS Integra analyzers; the
Roche CARDIAC T® immunoassay for detecting troponin T, the marker
of myocardial damage; and AMPLICOR® PCR assays for HIV viral
load monitoring and other molecular diagnostics.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's
leading research-oriented healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals,
diagnostics and vitamins. Roche's products and services address
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, thus enhancing
well-being and quality of life. Roche has approximately 64,000 employees
and sells its products in over 170 countries. Roche's Diagnostics
Division supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and
services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories
worldwide. Roche Diagnostics Corporation, based in Indianapolis,
is the North American headquarters for the diagnostics business
of the company.
COBAS INTEGRA, MODULAR, CARDIAC T and AMPLICOR are trademarks of
a member of the Roche Group.
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