Clongen Laboratories, LLC expands tick and arthropod-borne illness testing by offering new diagnostic assays for emerging pathogens

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire -- Clongen Laboratories, celebrating its tenth anniversary, is a leading provider of diagnostic and contract research services.  The company announced new test offerings to detect and identify emerging pathogens most recently implicated in severe to fatal cases resulting from tick and other arthropod bites.

Since 2004, Clongen Laboratories has provided a comprehensive menu of test services.  Clongen's newest test offerings will enable clinicians to offer early treatment, often averting more serious symptoms in patients newly diagnosed with tick or other arthropod-borne illnesses.

Molecular-based tests most recently added to Clongen Laboratories' menu include:

• Borrelia miyamotoi
• Borrelia hermsii
• Rickettsia parkeri
• Heartland Virus
• Rift Valley Fever Virus
• Powassan Virus
• Colorado Tick Fever Virus
• Chikungunya Fever Virus

"Adding these new tests to the nearly 20 other tick-borne pathogen assays and close to 250 diagnostic assays that Clongen Laboratories has offered since 2004 will enable us to serve a broader patient  population," said Clongen president and laboratory director, Dr. Ahmed Kilani. 

"Making the new tests available to clinicians and victims of tick or arthropod bites will save lives and significantly reduce morbidity," Kilani said.

"As a single source of guideline-based tests for tick and other arthropod-borne illnesses, Clongen Laboratories provides vital resources to physicians who require comprehensive data on the condition of patients affected by tick or arthropod-borne pathogens.

"Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that around 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, researchers say it is likely that the number of Lyme victims is many times higher because many cases go undiagnosed for decades.  The economic price tag for lost productive time resulting from chronic conditions related to tick bites is at least in the tens of billions of dollars. The cost in human misery is incalculable.

"Every day at Clongen laboratories, we use cutting edge technology to make accurate diagnoses – both in chronic cases that have gone undiagnosed for decades -- as well as in new cases," Kilani stated.

"In the world of tick and arthropod-borne disease, early diagnosis is critical and can shorten treatment times for most of the tick and arthropod borne infections we target," said Kilani.

With its focus on orphan diseases, Clongen Laboratories has also developed diagnostic tests for conditions that are not endemic to North America, including Malaria, Chagas Disease, Leishmaniasis, Hantavirus, Sin Nombre Virus, Dengue as well as many other hemorrhagic fevers caused by different viruses. In addition, new panels of tests for bacterial and parasitic gastrointestinal infections, as well as Gynecology/Urology tests, will be released in December 2014.

Clongen recently moved to more spacious quarters in Montgomery County, Maryland's "Biotech Corridor," and Kilani said the laboratory's new Gaithersburg, MD location positions the business to continue to meet growing market demand for infectious disease molecular diagnostics. 

About Clongen Laboratories  

A leader in molecular diagnostics, Clongen Laboratories is licensed in five states and holds two active FDA registrations.  Since its inception in 2004, the company has enjoyed rapid growth and steadily expanded its menu offerings.  Located in Gaithersburg, on the I-270 corridor in Montgomery County, MD, Clongen enjoys a strategic presence in close proximity to the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins University, The University of Maryland and other biotechnology institutions.  Clongen Laboratories is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests utilizing rapid detection methods with the goal of improving human health. For more information, please visit www.clongen.com  

Contact:   
Dr. Ahmed Kilani, President and Laboratory Director: 301-916-0173 x213
Elena Ralchenko, Office Manager:  301-916-0173 x200
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Clongen Laboratories