Quest Diagnostics to Present New Insights in Autoimmune Disease at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology Meeting

Secaucus, NJ, Nov. 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, announced today that it will present results of five studies at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Meeting, November 3 – 8, 2017 in San Diego.

The studies evaluate a broad range of laboratory technologies and best practices for aiding the diagnosis of several autoimmune disorders. These include testing for 14-3-3η (eta), a novel protein marker for rheumatoid and potentially other forms of arthritis. Quest Diagnostics was the first provider to offer 14-3-3η testing in the United States, which it now offers individually and as part of the IdentRA® panel.

"Rheumatic conditions affect nearly 46 million Americans, but they can be very complicated to diagnose,” said Stanley J. Naides, MD., FACP, FACR, Medical Director, Immunology, Quest Diagnostics , and lead author or co-author of all five studies. “Laboratory testing is increasingly essential to the management of autoimmune disease, as reliable and efficient diagnosis can often lead to interventions early in disease progression when the potential for a favorable outcome is greatest. At the American College of Rheumatology meeting, we look forward to shedding new light on the best diagnostic approaches for evaluating a broad range of these disorders.”

In recent years, the company has introduced several other services that aid the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease, myositis, systemic sclerosis, PD-L1 monocyte expression for predicting disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and a new genetic marker, HLA-B*58:01, for evaluating risk of severe cutaneous adverse skin reactions (SCARs) to allopurinol. Later this quarter, the company expects to introduce a new service that performs IdentRA testing in combination with the Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) by Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) Cascade (also known as multi-tiered reflex testing), for a comprehensive approach to aiding differential diagnosis of the eight most common rheumatic diseases with one blood draw.

Abstracts can be accessed on the ACR 2017 Annual Meeting website at: http://acrabstracts.org/.

Among the data being presented at this year's annual meeting are:

Sunday, November 5, 9:00 – 11:00 A.M. (Poster Session)

A study performed to survey laboratory practices in ANA testing and a study to determine laboratory practices in interpreting and reporting ANA IFA pattern and compare them against guidelines. ANA testing is used to detect autoantibodies that attack components of a cells' nucleus and cytoplasm, and aids in determining if a patient has autoantibodies that may suggest an autoimmune disorder, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (often simply called lupus), Sjögren syndrome, and systemic sclerosis.

• "Variability in Method of Testing for Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA): A Survey of Participants in the College of American Pathologist’s (CAP) Proficiency Testing Program" (Poster: 700)
• “Variability in ICAP (International Consensus on ANA Patterns) Pattern Reporting in Testing for Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) By Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA)” (Poster: 701)

Tuesday, November 7, 9:00 – 11:00 A.M. (Poster Session)

Two studies evaluating the presence of 14-3-3η (eta) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. 14-3-3η has diagnostic potential in inflammatory arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Prevalence of Serum 14-3-3η (eta) in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (Poster: 2312)
• 14-3-3η (eta) Protein in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) Patients (Poster: 2327)

Tuesday, November 7, 4:30 – 6:00 P.M. (Oral Session)

A study to determine whether apoptotic bodies (ApoBods) containing virally modified dsDNA from Parvovirus could induce autoimmunity in an animal model. Anti-dsDNA testing may be used to evaluate an individual for signs of lupus, and some research suggests a connection between the disorder and human parvovirus B19.

• Apoptotic Bodies Containing dsDNA Covalently Modified By Parvovirus B19 Non-Structural Protein NS1 Induce dsDNA Autoantibodies and End Organ Damage in Non-Autoimmune Mice (Oral: 2838)

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from a robust research and development program and the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 43,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. For more information, please visit www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

50th Anniversary: In 2017, Quest Diagnostics celebrates 50 years of life-changing results. To learn about our legacy of accomplishments and quest to improve healthcare in the future, visit www.QuestDiagnostics.com/50Years.

Quest, Quest Diagnostics , and all associated Quest Diagnostics registered or unregistered trademarks

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9f5a22e5-5e0b-4d96-99e6-b6c8e14eefcb

CONTACT: Kim Gorode (Media)
 Quest Diagnostics 
973-520-2800
MediaContact@questdiagnostics.com

Shawn Bevec (Investors)
 Quest Diagnostics 
973-520-2900
 Investor @questdiagnostics.com