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Technicians:
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Rafi
Ayen
Eulalia Grau
Rocio Bellido
Lidia Ruiz
Teresa Puig
Asun Blanco
Cristina Ramirez
Susana Esteban
Samandhy Cedeño |
Since
its beginning, irsiCaixa has had
the commitment of making the most
modern means of diagnosis and
the most advanced treatment strategies
as accessible to both HIV infected
patients and their physicians.
In
the past our laboratory offered
the molecular biology test of
determining viral load to HIV
patients in our hospital. This
later showed to be of great use
in following the evolution of
the illness. Currently this test
is part of the routine analysis
of all public hospitals in this
country, free of charge.
Resistance
to antiviral drugs is a phenomenon
which may limit therapeutic benefits.
The genetic base of such resistance
may help in designing new more
effective personal treatments.
As a consequence irsiCaixa launched
the HIV Sequencing Service in
1998. This service offers the
possibility of a genetic molecular
analysis of drug targeting genes:
protease and reverse transcriptase.
After
having a plasma sample the specialized
technicians of the sequencing
service take an extraction of
the genetic material of the virus.
They chemically amplify it and
then it is sequenced. Then a report
is filled out in which the detected
mutations indicate which drug
has lost efficacy against the
viral strains and which ones are
still efficacious. On the base
of this report the viral load,
the number of CD4, and the clinical
case study, the physician can
design an individualized treatment
with a high guarantee of success.
More
information on Services
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