NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aegis Sciences Corporation, a health care testing lab based in Nashville, Tenn., today announced it is now authorized to begin testing for monkeypox using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s PCR-based Orthopoxvirus DNA assay.
The CDC recently named Aegis as one of five national commercial labs authorized to perform monkeypox testing in the U.S. to expand testing capacity and health care provider access as the virus continues to spread.
“Testing, and increasing health care providers’ access to that testing, is crucial to identify cases of this disease quickly and limit its spread,” said Dr. Frank Basile, Aegis’s chief executive officer. “We’re proud to support CDC in bringing clarity to providers about where outbreaks are occurring in their communities.”
Drawing on its deep experience serving health care providers and patients with clinically vital testing in response to the opioid epidemic, Aegis tapped its supply-chain, logistics, high-throughput-lab capabilities, and scientific expertise to pivot toward the public health emergency caused by the coronavirus. Since launching COVID-19 testing in April 2020, Aegis has met the needs of communities across the U.S. with best-in-class performance. To date, Aegis has performed over 13 million COVID-19 tests and is collaborating with Walgreens to offer COVID-19 PCR testing at more than 5,200 of its pharmacy locations in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
“Our team has answered the call and is bringing to bear Aegis’s expertise to ramp up capacity in support of CDC efforts to mount a quick response to the monkeypox outbreak. We are eager to play our part in protecting the community,” said Dr. Matthew Hardison, SVP of Lab Operations at Aegis.
Aegis will be able to perform over 5,000 non-variola Orthopoxvirus tests per week at launch and is working to quickly and significantly increase its capacity to over 10,000 tests per week by the first week in August in order to meet additional demand as necessary. Aegis offers testing at its lab in Nashville and accepts specimens from anywhere in the country. Health care providers can learn more or begin testing by contacting Aegis through its website at www.aegislabs.com/our-services/monkeypox.
Anyone experiencing symptoms of monkeypox, which can include fever, chills, head and body aches, and a rash that appears like a blister, should contact their provider immediately. The latest CDC information on monkeypox, including how to identify symptoms, is available at www.cdc.gov/monkeypox.
About Aegis Sciences Corporation
Founded in 1990, Aegis Sciences Corporation is a laboratory sciences company based in Nashville, Tenn., that provides science-driven testing and consulting services for clients such as health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, professional and amateur sports organizations, leading college and university athletic programs, Fortune 500 corporations, and government agencies throughout the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.aegislabs.com/.
