Bedford Research Foundation Clinical Laboratory Will Be Testing For COVID19

    BEDFORD, MA, March 12, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As part of its mission to support treatment of currently incurable diseases in communities, the Bedford Research Foundation clinical laboratory, located in Massachusetts, will begin offering a highly sensitive highly specific test for SARS-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-2), the new coronavirus responsible for Corona Virus Induced Disease, 2019 (COVID19).

Bedford Research scientists are currently finishing the approval process for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and plan on ramping up the test immediately upon completed review process. The BRF test is based on thirty years of experience as a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) - licensed FDA-registered lab dedicated to detecting HIV and Hepatitis C in a variety of clinical specimens.

New FDA guidance is designed for expedited review of test strategies for SARS-2 by CLIA-licensed labs. The BRF test will offer a local alternative with faster turn-around time for test results than larger commercial laboratories, such as Quest and LabCorp, and will supplement the CDC-based resources at the Mass Department of Public Health.

BRF scientists have developed a transport kit that inactivates the virus so specimens can be transported safety to the laboratory from clinical settings or patients' homes for testing. Testing is available through a patients healthcare provider, all testing must be ordered through a clinic or Doctor's office.

The Bedford Research Foundation has set up a specialized response email for patients looking for information, please email: [email protected].

The Bedford Research Foundation is a biomedical institute conducting stem cell and related research for diseases presently considered incurable. More information is available on our website at www.bedfordresearch.org

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