PCR using TMA technology testing?

Cuteous mentioned below (see http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41861.html)
that the PCR using TMA technology measures virus to less than 2 IU/ML.  I'm curious if anyone has a link to more information on this.

The best I could find was  "The lower detection limit of the HCV Quantitative test is 50 IU/mL" at http://www.pathology.med.umich.edu/MLabs/General/MLSpectrum/MLSpectrumOCT05.html

Thanks

[jmjm530]

LabCorp's Quantasure test goes down to 2 IU/ml, but I believe it uses PCR, not TMA technology. It's a quantitative test meaning you get the result in a number.

Quest Diagnostics also has a couple of sensitive tests down to 5 IU/ml. One, called Heptimax, is also a quantitative test but it does use TMA technology in part. The other is Quest's  HCV RNA Qualitative TMA, which as the name suggests is a qualitative TMA that gives the result as "detected" or "not detected". No VL (viral load) numbers given. .

I used Heptimax during and right after treating but I used their HCV RNA qualitative for my 3 month post treatment VL and I'll be using it again for my six month post. It is also sensitive to  5 IU/ml.

-- Jim

[copyman]

i use labcorp for my blood work and their pcr quantites hcv rna from 10 to 100,000,000 iu/ml

[52TELE]

What?

[jmjm530]

I pretty much just use Quest labs and don't believe they have Taqman, so never really looked into it. Taqman seems to be used by many trials so I'm sure it's very accurate and reliable.