Blood test for cytomegalovirus developed

A simple blood test has been developed to help doctors monitor a person’s risk of contracting cytomegalovirus (CMV) – a virus that causes complications, often leading to death, in transplant recipients.

The test, QuantiFERON-CMV (QF-CMV), has been jointly developed by scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and a Melbourne-based diagnostic company, Cellestis Limited with the assistance of an AusIndustry Biotechnology Innovation Fund (BIF) grant.

According to the Director of QIMR’s Australian Centre for Vaccine Development, Associate Professor Rajiv Khanna, "This is the first commercially available test of its kind. Currently patients recovering from a transplant face the fear of becoming infected with CMV and doctors are forced to administer a highly toxic drug as a preventative."

"In many cases, the patient would have been able to fight the infection on their own and the drugs are administered unnecessarily. The concern is not only the toxic effect on the patient, but also the risk of developing drug resistance."

"This diagnostic can be applied to any type of transplant patient and can be used routinely to monitor the patients’ susceptibility to CMV infection. This will guide doctors in the treatment and prevention of CMV and ultimately improve the outcome of patients post-transplant."

Associate Professor Khanna is delighted to see a successful outcome of collaboration between QIMR and Cellestis Limited. "We have been working together over many years to develop this novel blood test. It is very exciting to see the fruits of our hard work saving lives."

The test is readily available in Europe and will be available in Australia in the coming months. The product has been developed and marketed by Cellestis Limited.

Guidelines published in the journal Transplantation reinforce the use of the test.

(Source: Queensland Institute of Medical Research: Transplantation: May 2010)