Obetech, LLC has developed a diagnostic test for those who have been infected with a particular common cold virus, human Adenovirus 36 (Ad-36). Ad-36 is rapidly gaining recognition as “the obesity virus,” and has been shown to trigger proliferation of fat cells, which ultimately leads to obesity in the infected person. Currently, Obetech offers a diagnostic test which checks for Ad-36 antibodies in the blood. By confirming an individual has been infected with Ad-36, the test can help them predict future weight problems and/or explain unexpected weight gain.

People who have diabetes and are unaware of it ,or those who have a condition known as pre-diabetes that often leads to diabetes ,will soon have access to a free tool to assess their health status online. The Diabetes Risk Test, based on a model developed by researchers at Archimedes Inc. accurately assesses a person’s chances of having or developing undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes. The assessment tool calculates a person’s chances of having diabetes using the answers to a series of questions, such as age, weight and history of gestational diabetes.

The Roche Diagnostics Elecsys Anti-HCV (hepatitis C virus) assay has now been approved for use in Europe for modular analytics and the e 601 module for the cobas 6000 platform. The assay is already available on the Elecsys 2010 and the cobas e 411 instruments. “The addition of anti-HCV assay to the E 170 analyser for modular analytics and the e 601 module for the cobas 6000 platform complements Roche’s already comprehensive menu of hepatitis immunodiagnostic and liver function assays, all of which can be accurately and simultaneously measured on a single blood sample to identify the underlying liver disorder,” the head of Roche Professional Diagnostics said.

Abbott Laboratories has introduced the Architect i1000SR immunochemistry analyzer. The analyzer can process up to 100 tests per hour, accommodate 65 patient samples and prioritize emergency test results to provide results in less than 16 minutes. The launch of the Architect i1000SR analyzer has expanded the company’s Architect family of diagnostic instrument systems for clinical laboratories.

CombiMatrix Corporation announced that its subsidiary, Combimatrix Molecular Diagnostics, has completed the clinical validation of its highest density constitutional array genetic test to date, the BAC HD Scan test. Following the successful validation, CombiMatrix has launched the test, which can diagnose over 125 genetic disorders.

A test to screen patients for MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., has been granted U.S. market clearance. MRSA, also known as superbug, is a deadly bacteria that has been increasing its prevalence in America and is a cause for concern due to its resistance to common antibiotics.